Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-23

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 5.5)

To achieve excellence in our tasks, goals it is important to have a consistent motivation towards it. Motivations acts as a driving force that helps us to attain our certain aims or thresholds.

Having a healthy competition at work, at school or in our daily life is considered to be a good thing, that results in producing positive stress in our body. Positive stress helps us to avoid unnecessary laziness or distraction towards our work. It keeps our brain to focus on the result that we will achieve after doing certain amount of work. In addition to it, it also helps us to attain a longer attention span which in result benefits us to achieve our goal in the most effective and efficient manner.

Despite these facts, competition can also sometimes led to a negative stress that pushes our body towards he feeling of being anxious or in the state of constant pressure. The most common cause of this negative stress is when we start making comparson of our progress with someone else progress, and this situation creates a feeling of lagging behind other. As a result, a person can develop insecurities from its own abilities and capabilities.

In view of above situation, it is being recommended that we should try to cooperate more, rather than competing against each other. In such environment, we encourage and help each other's to boost up their abilities and in such scenarios, we can learn at our own pace without having a race with anybody else.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You discuss both competition and cooperation, and your position is clear in the final paragraph: you recommend cooperation. The points about competition creating motivation and about comparison causing anxiety are relevant, but they are explained in general terms and are not supported with a specific example. The cooperation view receives less development: you say people can encourage one another and learn at their own pace, but do not explain how this benefits a workplace, school, or daily situation. The response also does not meet the 250-word minimum: 239 words were counted, with 13 words copied from the prompt excluded. Develop the cooperation argument and add a concrete example to address the task more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph on the benefits of competition, one on its drawbacks, and a concluding recommendation for cooperation. This makes the main line of thought understandable. However, the discussion does not progress evenly towards a comparison of the two views, and the cooperation paragraph is brief. Some linking is mechanical or unclear, as in “In addition to it” and “In view of above situation”; the reference in “this situation” also requires the reader to infer exactly which comparison is meant. Use clearer transitions to show how each point relates to the question, and develop the final paragraph so the conclusion follows from a balanced discussion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “motivation,” “positive stress,” “anxious,” and “insecurities,” and the reader can generally understand your ideas. There is also an attempt to use more formal expressions such as “driving force” and “effective and efficient.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “Motivations acts,” “attain our certain aims,” and “boost up their abilities.” Spelling errors such as “comparson” are noticeable, and repeated use of “helps us” limits variety. Aim for more natural academic phrasing and check spelling; for example, describe competition as “encouraging people to improve” rather than relying on repeated “helps us” constructions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including clauses beginning “Despite these facts” and “when we start making…”. This gives the response some structural variety, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction recur. For example, “Motivations acts” should have a singular subject or plural verb, “competition can also sometimes led” needs the correct verb form, and “a person can develop insecurities from its own abilities” has an unclear pronoun reference. The opening sentence also has an awkward construction around “tasks, goals.” Review subject–verb agreement and verb forms, then proofread each sentence for complete, clear grammatical patterns.

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