Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Some people claim that competing at work, at school and in daily life is a positive thing, while others argue that people should encourage more cooperation in society. In this essay, I will discuss both viewpoints and further provide my opinion on why I believe supporting each other is more beneficial than competing.

On the one hand, proponents of competition in society argue that competition pushes people to put in their best efforts in everyday tasks. This is because every individual likes to win and showcase their skillsets. However, such an environment can make people less empathetic. For instance, in school if children are made to compete with each other on a daily basis, it will develop a negative mindset as they make prioritising winning and be less helpful to their classmates. Therefore, I believe competition in society encourages personal development but makes individuals bad team players.

On the other hand, others believe working as a team allows for the achievement of the objective faster. When working in a team, everyone is allocated tasks at which they are good at. Consequently, this allows people to work efficiently and effectively making it easy to hit the target. For example, in order to win a competition, people may get diverted from the main objective if they are struggling to find a solution. They will then instead focus on stopping others from winning. This will discourage growth in society.

In conclusion, although a competing environment brings out the best version of an individual, it can also make people less helpful and make people think about themselves more. Therefore, I strongly believe working more as team allows people to think as one unit by allocating work to individuals as per their skill and overall making it easier to achieve any goal.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both views and state a clear preference for cooperation in the introduction and conclusion. The discussion of competition includes a relevant benefit—encouraging people to make their best effort—and a possible social cost, while the teamwork paragraph explains how allocating tasks can improve efficiency. However, the two sides are not developed equally: the cooperation argument is mainly about completing tasks faster, and the example about competitors obstructing others is not fully explained as evidence for cooperation. Some claims, such as “every individual likes to win,” are broad rather than supported. To strengthen the response, explain the mechanisms and consequences behind each point and give a more specific example of cooperation in school, work, or daily life.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion that restates your position. Signposting such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” makes the progression easy to follow, and cause-and-effect links like “Consequently” help connect ideas. This already provides coherent organisation, but some connections are mechanical or not fully clear. For example, the example about people trying to stop others from winning appears in the cooperation paragraph, yet its link to the benefits of teamwork is not explicit. The conclusion also repeats several points from the introduction. Make the relationship between each example and its paragraph’s main claim more direct, and use referencing or varied transitions to reduce repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “proponents,” “empathetic,” “allocated tasks,” and “personal development,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “achievement of the objective.” Some choices are imprecise or awkward, however: “skillsets” is less natural here than “skills,” and “make people bad team players” is blunt and informal for an academic discussion. “Hit the target” is also less suitable when referring broadly to achieving a goal. Aim for more precise collocations and avoid repeating “people” and “competition” where a clear alternative is available. More natural phrasing would make your argument sound more controlled and academically appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including a concession with “although,” a conditional example beginning “if children are made to compete,” and cause-and-effect clauses. Most sentences communicate their meaning, and punctuation generally supports the structure. Some grammatical errors remain. In “it will develop a negative mindset as they make prioritising winning and be less helpful,” the clause after “as” is not grammatically formed; a clearer version is “they may prioritise winning and become less helpful.” In the conclusion, “working more as team” needs an article (“as a team”), and “making it easier” has an unclear connection to the preceding clause. Review clause construction, articles, and parallel verb forms, while continuing to use varied sentence patterns.

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