Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

It is often argued that competition is a very good thing in various aspects of life be it work, school or even daily life. another group of people believe that cooperation instead of competition is a better attitude to have. I strongly believe that being competitive is a very healthy demeanour and with the right attitude can enhance the personality of a person.

Competition is a very common aspect of human emotions where we always try to be better than our peers at anything such as work and sports. It is a widespread discussion that having competitive colleagues pushes an individual to improve his performance in their respective fields. A lot of great scientists and many of the best athletes attribute competition to be a major factor in their success. Moreover many of the history's most famous rivalries, for example : The famous space race that happened between the Soviet Union and The United States of America in the 1900s resulted in massive advancements in the Space technology sector.

On the other hand, a counterstatement is often made that states, "trying to cooperate with each other is more effective than competing with each other" This stems from the fact almost all of the major changes in history are the result of the collective effort of a huge group of people be it a revolution or a scientific discovery.

In conclusion, I must say that competition and cooperation are both different types of attitudes that promote growth at different levels. Competition is very important for individual growth whereas cooperation works best for a collective effort.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both sides of the discussion and state a clear preference for competition in the introduction, then recognise in the conclusion that cooperation is valuable for collective progress. The examples of scientific and athletic success and the space race are relevant, and the latter gives your argument some concrete support. However, the two views are not developed equally: the case for cooperation is largely asserted through the claim that major changes result from collective effort, without explaining how cooperation benefits people at work, school, or in daily life. Your own position could also be sustained more explicitly through the body paragraphs. Develop each view with a specific explanation or example, and connect these points back to your opinion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph supporting competition, a contrasting paragraph on cooperation, and a conclusion. Transitions such as “On the other hand” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the main direction. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes limited, particularly in the cooperation paragraph, which moves from a general claim to examples without explaining the link in detail. Some connections are also mechanical, and the quoted counterstatement interrupts the flow rather than integrating the opposing view smoothly. Build clearer links between each claim, explanation, and example, and use referencing or transitions that show how the ideas relate rather than relying mainly on signposting phrases.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “competitive colleagues,” “collective effort,” “rivalries,” and “advancements.” These choices help communicate the main ideas, and the space-race example shows an attempt to use more specific language. Some less common expressions are not quite natural or precise, however: “a very healthy demeanour” is an awkward way to describe competition, and “a counterstatement is often made” sounds overly formal and unclear in context. There are also word-choice and collocation issues such as “attribute competition to be” and “Space technology sector.” Aim for natural academic phrasing and check how verbs combine with their objects; this will make your vocabulary more precise and fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including the opening contrast between the two views and the sentence explaining the space race. Most meaning remains clear, but some grammatical and punctuation errors are present. For example, “another group” should begin with a capital letter after the full stop, and “This stems from the fact almost all” needs “that” after “fact.” In “colleagues pushes an individual,” the plural subject requires “push,” while “their respective fields” does not agree consistently with the singular “an individual.” The sentence beginning “Moreover many” also needs punctuation after the introductory adverb. Review sentence boundaries, agreement, and clause construction, while continuing to use varied sentence patterns.

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