Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Many people believe that competition at work, in academic institutions, and in day-to-day life is a positive thing. However, some people believe one should cooperate more instead of competing. While competition can drive personal excellence and innovation, I believe that cooperation is more progressive for personal growth and societal progress.

Having healthy competition in places of employment and schools is good for creating a progressive mindset. But in today's world, individuals start to hate each other in this competition. At the workplace, people play politics to hamper someone's life, which leads to losing their job. A report in The New York Times shows that people have committed heinous crimes in order to achieve something at their place of employment. At School, this competition can bring peer pressure on children pursuing their education. Due to this, students often seem to do things that destroy their character.

However, some people believe that cooperation is a better way to grow and advance in life. People help each other in difficult times; for example, people help each other to attain good jobs, and students help their peers in some difficult academic activities. This cooperation can lead to a prosperous society. In this modern, harsh world, it is necessary to have cooperation among each other, which can reduce stress and isolation. For instance, top-tier research institutions rely on cross-functional teams to produce scientific breakthroughs and profound results.

In conclusion, while competitive environments can successfully help in the productivity of an individual, they often lead to stress and anxiety. In my opinion, cooperation must be superior approach to build long term trust .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses both sides of the discussion and gives a clear overall preference for cooperation, especially in the opening and conclusion. Relevant examples include workplace competition, peer pressure at school, mutual help with jobs and studies, and research teams. However, the two views are not developed equally: the disadvantages of competition receive more attention than the benefits that competition can bring, while the cooperation argument is mostly asserted rather than explained. The reference to a newspaper report is also broad and does not show precisely how competition produces the claimed outcomes. To strengthen the response, explain a specific benefit of competition, then develop how cooperation leads to better outcomes, using clearer cause-and-effect reasoning and more precise examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two perspectives, and a conclusion that restates the writer’s view. Linking expressions such as “However,” “For example,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the discussion. The progression is generally understandable, but some connections are mechanical or unclear. For instance, “However” introduces the cooperation paragraph without clearly showing how it contrasts with the preceding discussion, and “Due to this” has an uncertain reference. The conclusion also moves quickly from productivity to stress and anxiety without fully tying these points to the comparison. Use more precise referencing and connect each example explicitly to the paragraph’s main claim to make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for discussing work, education, and social relationships, and the response attempts some less common expressions, including “peer pressure,” “cross-functional teams,” and “scientific breakthroughs.” These choices help convey the topic, although some wording is imprecise or unnatural: “hamper someone’s life,” “cooperation among each other,” and “a better way to grow and advance in life” could be expressed more idiomatically. “Progressive” is also repeated and used somewhat broadly. The meaning remains clear, but more accurate collocations and a wider range of precise terms would improve control. Choose vocabulary that describes the specific effect being discussed, such as undermining a colleague’s career or fostering mutual support.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a concession in “While competition can drive personal excellence and innovation” and a relative clause in “which can reduce stress and isolation.” Most sentences are understandable, but some grammatical errors and punctuation slips remain. For example, “cooperation must be superior approach” needs an article (“a superior approach”), and “At School” should not capitalise “school” in this context. The final sentence also needs punctuation at the end. There are some longer sentences, but the range could be used more consistently to explain relationships between ideas. Review articles, capitalisation, and sentence punctuation, and practise combining claims with clear subordinate clauses.

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