Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-25

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)

It is widely acknowledged that competition plays a pivotal role in improving the individuals life in the modern era. While it is argued by many people, competition has a positive impact on the daily-routine life, job or education, others proponents believe individuals should attempt to collaborate more to acquire knowledge than compete with one another. This essay will discuss both perspectives, explaining why I firmly believe in competition its advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

The catalyst behind competition lies in a positive crucial role of peoples' life, their educational activities, jobs and in their daily life. One primarily cause is people tends to learn more things and acquire more information about everything. This is because people attempt to get the first rank and try to get good designation, if they are jobian. The prominent example of this is if a student is competing to another student during the exams and he secures good grades, it creates a positive impact in his life. As a result, such type of people feel the good change in their life because competition tell them how to be succeed.

Conversely, on the flip side, it is advocated by many people that people should try their best to collaborate more with one another instead of competing against each other. In terms of benefits, the people who assist each other in every field of life secure a good position as compared to the people who compete against each other and involve in leg pulling activities. Similarly, one viable solution of this problem is people should get rid of jealously rather they should help each other. For instance, if a person is jealus of another person and try to compete with him, he will not be succeed because he will devote his valuable time in identifying the weak points of the said person. Comsequently, competing against each other is unfavourable for all people but they should help each other.

I lean towards this view that people should not compete with eachother and pull their legs instead they should assist each other.

In conclusion, I firmly believe that competition plays a positive role in our society but people should compete with eacher in a positive sense rather than ley them down.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both sides of the question and give a position, but the argument is only partly developed and your stance is not fully consistent. The first body paragraph explains that competition can motivate students and workers, with the example of a student earning good grades, but it does not explore possible drawbacks. The cooperation paragraph gives more detail about jealousy and “leg pulling,” yet its claim that people who cooperate “secure a good position” is not clearly explained. Your final body sentence and separate opinion paragraph reject competition, while the conclusion says people should compete positively, leaving your view uncertain. State one clear position and support each perspective with a specific, fully explained example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. Linking expressions such as “Conversely,” “For instance,” and “In conclusion” help signal the direction of the discussion. However, progression is uneven: the first body paragraph repeats the idea that competition improves life without developing a distinct supporting point, and the cooperation paragraph shifts from benefits to a proposed solution and then to a negative example. The separate one-sentence opinion paragraph also interrupts the flow, especially because its position conflicts with the conclusion. Organise each body paragraph around one main claim, explain it, and connect the example directly to that claim; make the conclusion consistent with the introduction.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “pivotal role,” “collaborate,” “acquire knowledge,” and “prominent example,” so the discussion is not limited to very basic wording. However, several inaccurate or unnatural choices make parts difficult to follow, such as “jobian,” “the catalyst behind competition lies in a positive crucial role,” and “secure a good position” when describing cooperation. Spelling and word-form errors, including “jealously,” “jealus,” “Comsequently,” and “eachother,” also reduce clarity. Aim for precise, natural collocations rather than formal-sounding phrases, and check spelling carefully. Reusing a smaller set of accurate terms such as “motivate,” “cooperate,” and “work together” would make your meaning clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including conditional structures such as “if a student is competing … and he secures good grades” and clauses introduced by “because.” However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some ideas harder to understand. Examples include “people tends to learn,” “competition tell them,” “how to be succeed,” and “he will not be succeed,” where subject–verb agreement or verb forms are incorrect. The opening sentence also lacks a possessive in “the individuals life,” and several sentences join ideas awkwardly, as in “I firmly believe in competition its advantages outweigh the disadvantages.” Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, verb patterns, and sentence boundaries before adding more complex structures.

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