Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-24

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)

In this contemporary era competition is increasing in different field of life. Students and working professionals also experience competition in daily tasks ,which is encouraging individuals to work more effectively to achieve personal goals. while cooperation also motivates individuals to work together and achieve collective goals. I believe working in a cooperative environment can be more beneficial for students and employees to push their limits.

There are numerous advantages of working in a competitive environment t for students and , it will motivate students to work more hard to achieve positions ,awards rather then just being an average student. Competition will also encourage students to learn more new skills to surpass other students in new technological fields. Competition in workplace can also be beneficial for employees, it will made them work more on their personals goals and skill which will help the overall cooperation. for example it the business is working on a project and employees are assigned with personalized tasks on which which they will be rewarded then they will take it as a competition and work in a productive way.

Cooperation also makes the work easier for students and working professional. students can work in groups to complete school projects and assignments by helping each other which also save time and encourage them to work in a team. In huge firms and companies cooperation can also motivate employees to work in a team to achieve collective goals.

However there are also some disadvantages of cooperation and competition ,cooperation some time lead unrealistic expectations with in the team which can lead to lower productivity. while competition can also make people selfish and just focusing on their personal goals.

In conclusion, competition and cooperation have numerous advantages in our schools organization and daily life. Cooperation help building team and working together, while competition motivate individuals to achieve personal goals. I believe we should create an environment of cooperation which will help us as a society to build and grow together.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You discuss both competition and cooperation and make your preference clear: “I believe working in a cooperative environment can be more beneficial,” reinforced in the conclusion. Relevant examples include students completing group assignments and employees working on a project. This covers the task, but the two views are not developed equally: the competitive-workplace example is difficult to follow, and the disadvantages of both approaches are introduced briefly without explaining their effects. To strengthen the response, explain more fully why competition can improve performance and when cooperation produces better outcomes, using specific examples. Also make the relationship between your supporting points and your final preference more explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, separate discussion of competition and cooperation, a paragraph on drawbacks, and a conclusion. This helps the reader follow the main direction, and transitions such as “However” and “In conclusion” signal changes in the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear. The workplace example beginning “for example it the business is working on a project” is hard to interpret, and the drawbacks paragraph combines two contrasting points without developing either. Some links, such as “while cooperation also motivates,” connect ideas mechanically rather than showing their precise relationship. Use clearer topic sentences, organise each paragraph around one main point, and make references and transitions more explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “competitive environment,” “collective goals,” “productive,” and “personal goals,” so the main ideas are generally understandable. There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “surpass other students” and “unrealistic expectations.” However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or repetitive: “work more hard,” “learn more new skills,” and “personalized tasks” do not sound natural in context. Errors such as “field” for “fields” and “rather then” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, natural combinations and check spelling and word forms. For example, “work harder,” “develop additional skills,” and “individual tasks” would express these ideas more idiomatically.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses with “which” and “while,” and the overall meaning can usually be understood. However, control is inconsistent, particularly in longer sentences. For example, “Competition in workplace can also be beneficial for employees, it will made them work more” joins clauses incorrectly and uses an incorrect verb form. There are also agreement and article errors, as in “Cooperation help building team,” and punctuation problems, including comma splices and missing sentence boundaries. These errors sometimes make relationships between ideas difficult to follow. Practise forming accurate complex sentences, checking subject–verb agreement and verb forms, and separating independent clauses with a full stop or an appropriate conjunction.

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