Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-18

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 5.5)

It is true that most of the people are of the view that competition at work, at school and in daily life is a good thing while it can argued that rather than competition we should focus on cooperation mode. I believe that competition is most beneficial for people there are several reasons why;

Firstly, because competition always encourages a person to put his/her efforts as much as they could so that they could win. It boosts their confidence because without competition one doesn't try to do a certain task in an efficient manner.

Secondly, without competition you can't judge abilities of a person. By competition for example at work or school one can judge how much a person is capable of doing certain task and how much he had understood the work or task assigned to him/her.

Finally, competition is like a tool to differentiate between peers for the same task assigned to them or to know which thing is better than the other in daily life.

Despite the above arguments, it is believed that we should focus more on cooperation among people rather than competing against each other.First, because cooperation makes people with different abilities understand in a better way. In cooperation mode, every person in a group tries to discuss things or sort out different problems faced by them in a friendly manner.Second, many people are more comfortable in cooperation mode rather then thay are put to competition.

In conclusion, it seems to me that competition is necessary for boosting confidence and judging abilities while cooperation is neccessary for accomplishment of tasks in a better way.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both sides of the question and give a clear overall view: competition can build confidence and assess ability, while cooperation helps people complete tasks. The examples of competition at work and school are relevant, and the conclusion restates your position. However, the two perspectives are not developed equally: the benefits of competition receive three points, whereas cooperation is supported mainly by general statements about discussion and comfort. Some claims, such as competition being necessary to judge ability, would be stronger with a specific example or explanation of its limitations. Develop the cooperation argument further and explain how your final view balances the two approaches.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate sections for the two views, and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “Finally” help readers follow the competition points. However, the progression can feel mechanical because several points are introduced in the same way, and the relationship between ideas is not always made explicit. For example, the paragraph on cooperation moves from understanding different abilities to people feeling more comfortable, but does not explain how these points support the overall argument. There is also no space after the full stop before “First” in “each other.First.” Use clearer paragraph breaks and more varied links, and connect each supporting point directly to the main claim.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “competition,” “cooperation,” “confidence,” “abilities,” and “accomplishment.” Some phrases, however, are repetitive or imprecise, such as “cooperation mode,” “judge abilities,” and “differentiate between peers.” There are also noticeable word-choice and spelling problems, including “rather then” and “neccessary,” which reduce the accuracy and polish of the response. Aim for more natural collocations and a wider range of expressions for comparing the two approaches. For instance, you could describe cooperation as “collaborative work” and say that competition “provides a way to assess performance,” rather than repeating the same basic terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “while” and a concluding sentence that brings together two ideas. However, some grammatical errors affect accuracy. The opening has an incomplete construction in “while it can argued,” and “competition is most beneficial for people there are several reasons why” joins clauses without suitable punctuation or a linking structure. Other examples include “how much he had understood,” where the tense does not fit the general point, and “a certain task” after “doing,” where the sentence pattern is awkward. Review verb forms, clause boundaries, and articles, and proofread punctuation. More consistently accurate complex sentences would make your reasoning easier to follow.

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