Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-26

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)

A contentious issue in modern society is competition. Some people believe that competition in our daily life is good but other believe that we need to cooperate rather than competing.

When we think about competition it was something that sometimes helps you progress in life but it also ruins your life in otherways. For instance, students used to compete at school in order to get good grades, also competition at work place is also essential because it helps employes to progress, learn and complete different tasks. So it motivates us to work hard in order to achieve our goals. Another example is when two cricket teams are playing they is a competition in between them in order to win. So, team players must have to play hard in order to compete with other players.

Another interesting term is coordination, cooperation. Sometimes in order to compete with each other we make troubles for others which in turn harms us. But if we work in cooperation with each other then both will be successful. For example in a cricket team if players of the same team try to compete with each other instead of other team then they will ultimately lose that game. So instead of competing with each other try to cooperate and work as a team to win together. This phenomenon is also common in animals for example some birds lay their eggs in other birds nest so there is cooperation system among them both birds benefits from this process.

In conclusion, there is close association between competition and cooperation. In order to be successful in life both are essential.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both competition and cooperation and give a concluding view that both are needed, so the response is relevant to the question. However, the position is not fully clear: the introduction presents the two views, while the conclusion says both are essential without explaining how you balance them. The examples about students, employees and cricket illustrate competition, but they mostly repeat the idea that it encourages effort rather than developing its wider benefits or drawbacks. The cooperation paragraph gives a clearer contrast through the cricket-team example, though the claim about birds is confusing and not explained. To strengthen the response, state your opinion directly and develop each main point with a clear reason and a relevant, accurately explained example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs on competition and cooperation, and a conclusion. This helps the reader identify the two sides. However, progression within paragraphs is limited, and several ideas are linked mechanically with repeated forms such as “For instance,” “Another example,” and “So.” The transition from competition to “coordination, cooperation” is abrupt, and the bird example does not clearly connect to the argument. Some references are also unclear, such as “both birds” and “this process,” because the situation has not been explained sufficiently. Organise each body paragraph around one main claim, then explain its consequence and use one focused example. More precise linking and referencing would make the argument easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the basic discussion, including “competition,” “cooperate,” “progress,” “achieve our goals,” and “work as a team.” There are also attempts to vary expression, such as “contentious issue” and “close association.” However, the range is limited and some choices or combinations are inaccurate or unnatural, including “otherways,” “work place,” “coordination, cooperation,” and “there is a cooperation system among them.” Spelling errors such as “employes” and “benefits” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more precise collocations and check word forms and spelling. For example, describe competition as “encouraging employees to develop their skills” rather than saying it helps them “progress, learn and complete different tasks.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, including clauses beginning with “When” and “if,” and the main ideas are generally understandable. However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently in sentence construction, agreement, tense and verb forms. For example, “other believe” needs subject–verb agreement, “they is a competition” has an incorrect verb form, and “both birds benefits” has incorrect agreement. The sentence “students used to compete” also uses a past form where the general present would be more suitable. Some sentences are awkwardly joined, as in “students used to compete …, also competition at work place…”. Practise building accurate complex sentences and check each clause for a clear subject, correct verb form and appropriate punctuation.

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