Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-19

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 4.5)

some people believes that competition at work , at school and in daily life is a good thing.

while others think that we should try to cooperate more. Although competition at work sometimes can be useful and beneficial and i also thinks That competition at work makes you more confident. It depends on where you are, whom you compete with, and which person you want to compete with.

Sometimes in your home or daily life, you can't tolerate people’s stupid behaviour and try to cooperate according to the situation.

But at other places, like your work places like offices and schools .. For example, in my work place, my senior colleague lied to me, and they burdened me with a lot of work. At first, I think it's OK. It's your work place but after a few days, they are getting on my nerves. Then I think cooperate at your work place will not work for or other people too. so i decided to compete with them therefor i compete and it gave me confidence and success. and actually it really worked. so From my perspective compete and cooperate works according to the people , place and situation . wherever you are you have to think first then act .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You address both sides by saying competition can build confidence and that cooperation may not work in every workplace, and you give a personal example involving a senior colleague. However, the discussion is only partial: the benefits of cooperation and the wider value of competition at school or in daily life are not explained, and the example is not developed enough to support a balanced argument. Your final view—that the choice depends on the people, place and situation—is present, but it remains broad. The response contains 195 words, which is 55 words below the 250-word minimum; 14 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. Develop both views with reasons and examples, then state your position more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic sequence from introducing the two views to describing a workplace experience and giving a concluding opinion. The personal example gives the response a central thread. However, ideas are not arranged into clear, purposeful paragraphs, and the shift from home life to work and then to the conclusion is abrupt. Linking words such as “Although,” “But,” and “so” are used, but some connections are unclear or repetitive; for example, “Then I think cooperate at your work place will not work for or other people too” does not clearly show how the point follows. Organise the response into an introduction, separate paragraphs for each view, and a conclusion, using clear references and transitions to show how each idea relates.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main points, including “competition,” “cooperate,” “confident,” and “success.” The workplace anecdote also includes some specific language, such as “burdened me with a lot of work” and “getting on my nerves.” However, the range is limited and several phrases are repetitive or imprecise, particularly repeated forms of “compete” and “cooperate.” Expressions such as “stupid behaviour” are informal and do not explain the issue precisely, while “work places like offices and schools” is awkwardly phrased. Aim for more precise, appropriately formal wording and vary how you describe collaboration, rivalry and their effects.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer structures, including “Although competition at work sometimes can be useful and beneficial” and the conditional-style conclusion “wherever you are you have to think first then act.” However, the range is limited, and complex attempts are often faulty. Subject–verb agreement is inconsistent in “some people believes” and “I also thinks”; tense shifts occur in the workplace story (“I think,” “they are getting,” “I decided”); and sentence boundaries are unclear in places, especially around “therefor I compete and it gave me confidence.” Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent. Practise accurate simple sentences first, then build longer sentences with controlled clauses, consistent tense, and clear punctuation.

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