Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-17

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people think that competition at work, at school and in daily life is a good thing. Others believe that we should try to cooperate more, rather than competing against each other.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.5)

There is considerable debate about whether competition or cooperation is more beneficial in professional, educational and daily life. While both perspectives have their own merits, I believe that cooperating with each other is more important because it priortizes teamwork instead of individual growth.

One of the main reasons behind the benefits of competition is that it brings out the best in people. This is largely due to the fact that comparison at workplace, school or even in daily life trigers people emotionally to be superior and best, making them work hard and expand their boundaries for learning new things that they would ignore otherwise. For example, in the school competitions children often try to do something out of the box to stand out from their peers, allowing them to be more creative and passionate. As a result of this, people not only compete with others but also compete with themselves in order to perform better than their colleagues.

Nonetheless, in this fast paced world everthing has become competition that individuals always try to defeat others and forget to live their own lives. Moreover, some people take competition very seriously that they take negative measures to win. In these situations, cooperation is essential for ensuring that people may work together peacefully. Furthermore, it creates a positive environment for people to grow together as a team. For example, a company where employees work together with the motive of company's success rather than competiting each other has more chances of being successful.

In conclusion, while some people state that competition is a positive measure, others argue that rather than competing people should cooperate with each other at work, at school and in daily life. In my opinion, cooperation is better for greater good as it promotes teamwork and increases the possibility of success.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both sides of the discussion and state a consistent preference for cooperation, especially in the introduction and conclusion. The competition paragraph gives a relevant explanation—people may push themselves to learn and be creative—and the school example supports this. You also explain that excessive rivalry can encourage harmful behaviour, then illustrate cooperation with a workplace example. However, the cooperation argument is more fully developed than the competition side, and the claim that cooperation is “better for greater good” would benefit from a clearer explanation of how it improves outcomes beyond teamwork. To strengthen the response, develop the comparison between the two approaches and make each example show more explicitly why it supports your position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion that restates your position. Linking expressions such as “For example,” “Nonetheless,” and “Furthermore” help signal relationships between ideas, and the progression from competition’s benefits to its risks is understandable. Some connections are less precise or feel mechanical, however. “As a result of this” introduces a point about competing with oneself that is not clearly a result of the preceding example, while “Nonetheless” signals contrast without fully clarifying the relationship between the paragraphs. Improve cohesion by making cause-and-effect links explicit and using pronouns or repeated key terms carefully so each reference is unmistakable.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “considerable debate,” “brings out the best,” “stand out from their peers,” and “positive environment.” These choices help communicate the main ideas, and some less common expressions are attempted. There are also several spelling and word-choice or collocation slips, such as “priortizes,” “trigers,” “everthing,” and “competiting.” Some phrases are awkward or imprecise: “comparison at workplace” and “take negative measures to win” could be expressed more naturally and specifically. Aim for accurate collocations and proofread spelling, while choosing precise terms for the effects of rivalry and cooperation. This would make the vocabulary more flexible and natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses with “because,” “that,” and “where,” and most meaning remains clear. Some sentences are controlled well, such as the opening contrast between the two perspectives. However, some grammatical errors remain. In “comparison at workplace, school or even in daily life,” articles and parallel phrasing are missing; “some people take competition very seriously that…” needs a structure such as “so seriously that”; and “a company where employees work together … has more chances” has an awkward construction. There are also punctuation and spacing issues, including the extra space before “best.” Review articles, clause patterns, and sentence boundaries, then check each sentence for grammatical completeness.

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