Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-20

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 5.0)

There are different opinions regarding competition at work, school or in daily life.Some people argues that competition in apropriate manner is necessary at workplaces , at schools and in daily life because it makes an better enviornment leading to active invovement of participents which make them to use their abilities.They support their idea saying in competitive enviornment one is more engaged and do more hard work in order to get better results.In this conditions their extraordinary skills come out and they able to know at which position they stands out.Another advantage of being in competitive enviornment is one can know ones mistakes and deficiencies. While rest of them give contrary views .According to them camparing with others induces extra stress and burden that leads toward pressure which in results person become unable to show his real ablilties leading to decline in overall performance.This makes sense because in stress conditions no one is able to perform normally.Stress condions often leads to anxiety, depression and even sucidal thoughts.Comparing with others is drastic because it leads to inferiority complex.I have a real life example .One of my friend was preparing for MDCAT with his friend. When he saw his friend scores in mock tests he got confused and nervous leading to mental problems like anxiety and fear of being failed.He loose his mind eventually and take risk of jumping from rooftop.In conclusion both views have their own importance but according to me second opinion is more apropriate and useful.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both sides of the question and state a clear preference for cooperation in your conclusion, so the response is relevant to the task. The points about competition encouraging effort and revealing strengths, and comparison causing stress, are appropriate. However, the discussion is only partly developed: the benefits of competition are listed rather than illustrated, while the example about your friend focuses on a severe outcome without explaining how it supports cooperation more broadly. Your own position also appears only at the end, rather than being made clear and supported throughout. The response is four words below the required minimum, and the limited development makes it harder to address the task fully. Extend the reasoning and explain how cooperation could prevent or reduce the problems described.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is a recognisable overall sequence: you introduce the debate, present arguments for competition, give the opposing view and an example, then conclude with your opinion. Some linking phrases, such as “While” and “In conclusion,” help signal these stages. However, the response is presented as one continuous paragraph, so the two viewpoints and your example are not clearly separated. Several transitions are awkward or repetitive, including “Another advantage” followed by “While rest of them,” and the long chain of ideas beginning “According to them.” This limits the clarity of progression. Use separate paragraphs for each view and your conclusion, and connect each example directly to the point it supports.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “competitive environment,” “deficiencies,” “inferiority complex,” and “overall performance.” These choices show an effort to discuss effects beyond simply saying competition is good or bad. However, the range is limited and errors in spelling, word form, and collocation are frequent enough to distract the reader: examples include “apropriate,” “enviornment,” “camparing,” and “ablilties.” Some phrases are also unnatural, such as “do more hard work,” “in these conditions,” and “take risk of jumping.” Aim for accurate, natural combinations and check spelling carefully. More precise terms for the central ideas would also help you explain the contrast between healthy competition and harmful comparison.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, including a sentence explaining that competition can lead to greater effort and another describing the effects of stress. However, complex sentences are often difficult to follow because of frequent errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence boundaries. For example, “Some people argues” has incorrect subject–verb agreement, while “they able to know” is missing a verb form; “one is more engaged and do more hard work” also shifts agreement within the sentence. Punctuation is inconsistent, with missing spaces after full stops and a run-on sequence of clauses. Practise building shorter, complete sentences first, then combine ideas using accurate subordinate clauses and punctuation.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.