Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

People think that competition at work and in daily life is a good thing, while others believe that we should try to cooperate more, rather than against each other. I think that both things works in a different situations. Let's discuss whats the advantages and disadvantages of both situations in different circumstances.

On the one hand, maintaining competition in daily life is good because this thing make your standard. Making competition level in all things or places make you different in groups and people will recognize you with the level of competition that you created. A disadvantage is that people will treat you in a negative way. For expamle, if you are hard working person in your coworking space then people will treat you as a competant and will avoid to make personal or friendly connection with you.

On the other hand, when we try to help others people and make their life easier with coorperation, rather than competing against each other then you noticed that people will treat you better and you have a very good relation with them. People are too friendly and they can also easily share different situations or circumstances with you. In this way you build peoples trust. And disadvantage is that between all this situation you lose to make your self priority.

In my opinion, you have to compete in every fpart of life, because in the end its only you, people cant even remember your sacrifice. So, just focus in our own life and compete with everyone.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You discuss both competition and cooperation and give a clear personal view in the final paragraph: you argue that people should compete because they must focus on their own lives. However, the discussion is only partial and the ideas are under-developed. For example, competition is linked to being recognised, while cooperation is linked to trust, but these points are not explained with specific, relevant examples or balanced reasoning. The disadvantages are also asserted rather than explored. The response contains 235 words, so it is 15 words below the 250-word minimum; the 19 words copied from the task prompt are not included in that count. Develop each view further and explain why your opinion follows from the discussion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs beginning “On the one hand” and “On the other hand,” and a concluding opinion. This helps the reader identify the two views. However, progression within paragraphs is limited, and several ideas are joined mechanically with “And” or repeated references to “this situation.” The opening also promises to discuss “advantages and disadvantages,” but the points are not organised into a clear, sustained comparison. Some links between claims are unclear, such as how being recognised for competition leads to people avoiding personal connections. Use clearer topic sentences, connect each explanation directly to its claim, and make references such as “this” or “they” precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “competition,” “cooperate,” “disadvantage,” “friendly connection,” and “trust.” However, the range is limited, and several inaccurate or awkward choices make parts of the response less clear or natural. For instance, “this thing make your standard” does not clearly express the intended benefit, while “make your self priority” and “compete in every fpart of life” are difficult to interpret. There are also spelling errors, including “expamle,” “competant,” and “coorperation.” Aim for more precise collocations and check spelling carefully; this will help you express the contrast between personal achievement and mutual support more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, including conditional phrasing such as “if you are hard working person … then people will treat you…” and a contrast introduced by “while.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to affect clarity. Examples include subject–verb agreement in “both things works” and “this thing make,” missing articles in “a hard working person,” and inconsistent pronouns in “focus in our own life.” The sentence beginning “when we try to help … then you noticed” shifts from “we” to “you” and uses an incorrect verb form. Practise accurate agreement, articles, and consistent subjects, then build longer sentences with controlled clauses and careful punctuation.

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

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