Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

There is a considerable debate over whether competetion is school is inf;uential for students to stay focused, or weather students should cooperate to eachother while studying rather than going against eachother. This essay will discuss both perspectives before concluding that cooperation along with competition, is crucial to stay positive and successful in school life.

On the one hand, proponents assert that competition plays a central role in the academic performance of students in school because achieving the first place in class, always keeps student motivated towards his/her studies. For instance; a research was conducted in South Asia to analyse the difference between the results of two groups of students; the students in the first group were told to be rewarded if they get first place in class while no academic pressure was applied on the second group. The results showed that students under pressure, improved 55% by their previous results. However, no significant improvement wa sreported in those who were allowed to study under chill environment.

On the other hand, opponents argue that students should be encouraged to cooperate rather than compettion because it can develop a concept of negativity and jealously among students that can have profound and potentially deterimental repercussions, not only on their peer realtionships but also on their personal development. For example; cooperation among students in classroom enables less intelligent students to get the learning tips and tricks from top tired students of class. Therefore, cooperation can give rise to a wide range of far reaching consequences in aspects of academic performance and friendship bonds.

In coclusion, both of the views have merit. However, I am strongly convinced that top ranking students of the class should volunteer others to get their concepts clear and do better in academics, rather than always trying to compete because it has not only devasting affects on friendships but also deteriorate their own positive personality attributes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both sides of the discussion and state a position: the introduction favours combining cooperation with competition, while the conclusion gives greater weight to cooperation. The examples about rewards and students sharing learning strategies are relevant. However, the response focuses almost entirely on school, although the prompt also asks about work and daily life. The research example is presented with a precise 55% result but no explanation of its source or context, so it is not fully convincing support. Your final opinion could also be developed more clearly: explain when competition is useful and why cooperation should take priority. These gaps leave some parts of the task less fully addressed and the ideas somewhat under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” make the progression easy to follow. This organisation is effective, and the examples generally appear in the relevant paragraphs. To make the argument more cohesive, avoid relying so heavily on formulaic transitions and strengthen the links between claims and explanations. For example, the move from the classroom example to “far reaching consequences” is broad rather than clearly reasoned. The conclusion also shifts from a balanced opening position to a stronger preference for cooperation without fully connecting the two. Clearer referencing and transitions between these ideas would improve flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “academic performance,” “profound repercussions,” “personal development,” and “friendship bonds.” These choices show an effort to express ideas beyond basic language. However, noticeable spelling and word-choice errors sometimes distract or make meaning less clear, such as “competetion,” “jealously,” “deterimental,” and “top tired students.” Some phrases are also unnatural or imprecise: “study under chill environment” and “volunteer others to get their concepts clear” do not express the intended meaning idiomatically. Aim for accurate collocations and check spelling carefully; for instance, use “a supportive learning environment” and “help classmates understand difficult concepts.” This would make your vocabulary more reliable and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple and complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “students … that can have profound … repercussions” and a contrast structure beginning “while.” This gives the response some variety. However, errors in sentence construction, agreement, articles, and punctuation recur and can make parts difficult to read. For example, “achieving the first place in class, always keeps student motivated” has an unnecessary comma and an unclear singular noun; “a research was conducted” uses an incorrect article; and “the results showed that students under pressure, improved” separates the subject from its verb with a comma. The final sentence also has an unclear structure around “because it has not only…” Review sentence boundaries, subject–verb agreement, and article use, then proofread complex sentences for clarity.

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