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)

In this paragraph we will talk about how some people think that competition at different places is a good thing or a bad thing.

In my point of view every aspect of life has its pros and cons. Having competition at school is good and bad for a student at the same time. Because if there is no competition the student will think that only he has the ability to attain a good position and he will stay unaware of his hidden abilities throughout his school life and when he will move further in his life where he has to face the competition he will be unable to compete people and will face multiple failures in hu=is career and life. At the same time having competition may has a bad impact on the student's mind that he is not able to score more than other students and he will face embrass in front of his fe;;ows for not performing good. Now if we talk about having competiton at work places and daily life, in my perspective competition should not be personal. People should compete with each other in such a way that neither of them feels disappointed however competition is such athing that if people do not take it personal they can touch the sky because competition nourish your hidden talents and abilities moreover it can also make you feel proiud when you achieve somethimg with your own hard work of day and night.

In my opinion competition is very important to polish your character and abilities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You give a relevant opinion, especially in the conclusion that competition can help develop character and abilities, and you explain both a benefit and a possible negative effect at school. However, the task asks you to discuss competition and cooperation, and cooperation is not meaningfully addressed. The discussion of work and daily life is also brief, and the essay does not clearly explain when cooperation might be preferable or support that view with an example. Your position is present but shifts between describing competition as both good and bad and calling it “very important,” without fully resolving this tension. Develop both sides of the question and support your final view with specific reasons and examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The response has a recognisable opening, a discussion of school and work, and a concluding opinion, so the reader can identify its general subject. However, the ideas are not arranged into clear, purposeful paragraphs, and the long central passage combines several points without enough separation. Connections such as “At the same time” and “Now if we talk about” help signal shifts, but the progression remains difficult to follow, particularly as the essay moves from school competition to workplace competition and then to personal achievement. The opening also announces the topic rather than setting up the two views. Organise the response into distinct paragraphs for competition, cooperation, and your opinion, and use clear links to show how each point relates to the question.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary, including “hidden abilities,” “disappointed,” “achieve,” and “hard work,” which helps communicate your ideas about the effects of competition. However, the range is limited and several expressions are repetitive or imprecise, such as “good and bad,” “competition is such a thing,” and “compete people.” Spelling errors—including “competiton,” “embrass,” and “proiud”—also make the writing less clear and reduce the accuracy of word choice. Aim for more precise terms for the benefits and drawbacks of competition, and check spelling carefully. Learning natural collocations such as “compete with others,” “develop one’s abilities,” and “feel embarrassed” would make your points clearer and more appropriate for an academic essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some complex sentences, particularly when explaining how a lack of competition might affect a student later in life, and you use clauses beginning with “Because” and “that.” However, these longer structures are often faulty or difficult to control, and the response contains frequent errors that sometimes make the reader work to understand the meaning. For example, “competition may has a bad impact” has an incorrect verb form, while “when he will move further” uses an unsuitable tense after “when.” There are also problems with sentence boundaries and punctuation: several ideas run together in very long sentences, and the opening “Because” clause is incomplete. Use shorter, controlled sentences alongside complex ones, and check verb forms, agreement, and punctuation.

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

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