Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

In the opinion of some people, competition in all facets of life is essential, while others believe cooperation is a better strategy than competition. Those in favor of competition argue that it brings the best out of them, while people in favor of cooperation raise the notion that not all people have the same starting point in life so helping each other is the way to go forward. I personally concur with the notion of cooperation.

When people have a constant competition with each other, they stay under a constant pressure and it brings the best out of them. If we take the example of sports, many great players like Lebron James have said that they had a mindset to get better than their contemporaries, and this constant competition brought the best perfomance out of them. Many companies have created a work culture of constant competiton among employees and in the long term, it brought growth to both employees and the company. However, this constant competition with each other can also result in feelings of animosity towards each other.

Proponents in favor of cooperation, often argue that starting point of every person life is not the same. Each of us has a different educational background, so not all people can think in a same manner. Some people are good at certain things, some are good at other things, if we can cooperate with each other, we all can benefit from each other. From a moral point of view, it is also wise to help each other. I agree with this idealogy because if members of a society believe in cooperation, a whole society can move forward rather than individuals.

In conclusion, although competition might bring the best out of people it can also result in development of animosity towards each other. With a cooperative approach a whole society can move forward together.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You discuss both perspectives and state your position clearly: you support cooperation, while acknowledging that competition can motivate people and benefit companies. The examples of sports and workplace culture are relevant, and the conclusion restates the central contrast. However, some ideas are less fully developed than others. The claim that competition produces better performance is illustrated through a general reference to LeBron James, but the mechanism and limits of this effect are not explained. Likewise, the point about unequal starting points could be connected more directly to how cooperation addresses those differences. Develop each main claim with a specific explanation or example to make the discussion more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. The progression from competition to cooperation is easy to follow, and signposts such as “However” and “In conclusion” help show the relationship between ideas. At times, though, cohesion is somewhat mechanical, with repeated phrases such as “constant competition” and repeated references to “each other.” Some links between sentences are also abrupt: the discussion moves from different educational backgrounds to people having different abilities without fully explaining the connection. Use a wider range of referencing and linking, and make the relationship between each supporting point explicit, so the argument flows more naturally.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “animosity,” “proponents,” “contemporaries,” and “cooperative approach.” These choices help express the contrast between the two views, and meaning remains clear. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “brings the best out of them,” “a constant competition,” and “starting point of every person life.” There are also spelling errors, including “perfomance,” “competiton,” and “idealogy.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision and control. Check spelling carefully and learn common collocations in context; more natural phrasing would make your argument sound more fluent and assured.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses beginning “while,” “because,” and “if.” Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, and the contrast between viewpoints is generally handled clearly. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with articles, agreement, and sentence construction. For example, “a constant competition” is not the natural grammatical form in this context, and “starting point of every person life” needs possessive marking and an article. In “if we can cooperate with each other, we all can benefit,” the conditional structure is understandable but could be expressed more naturally. Review articles, possessives, and clause patterns, then proofread for punctuation and sentence boundaries.

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