Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

In present days, competition is being a part of human society, either at work, school or in day-to-day life. Some people believe that it is a positive thing; while few argues that people should try to cooperate more, rather than competing. This essay will discuss both the viewpoints including my opinion.

On the one hand, competition is necessary to continue the race of life in all the living beings especially humans. It develops naturally as we grow considering the social environment from our surroundings. For instance, a student always competes with his classmates for better results; an achiever always works hard to achieve higher goals; a man always works hard to give a better life to his family. They are always competing against each other for better rewards. Competition, however, brings an element called comparison which can gives a negative impact on mental health. They will always try to compare themselves with the others, and in comparison, people may develop a negative mentality for a long period of time.

On the other hand, cooperation is always good for the environment and it gives positive energy. It makes people socialize together to achieve a common goal. It leaves a good impact and contributes to the community; it can brings more oppotunity and can be helpful in improving communication skills. Moreover, cooperative work can easily finishes in no time as compared to individual tasks. As proof, a group activity finished before its deadline in a school because the students were well cooperated with the mentors. It is evident that a well cooperative company earned more than the one which had stubborn employees.

In my opinion, at the end, I believe a healthy competition is good, but the comparison is worst than any other element which leads to self-destruction.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both sides of the question and give a personal view, so the response remains relevant throughout. The competition paragraph offers examples involving students, workers and family providers, and you acknowledge that comparison can harm mental health. The cooperation paragraph also explains shared goals and communication, with a school-group example. However, some points are asserted rather than fully explained: for example, the claim that cooperation is “always good” is broad, and the company example does not show clearly how cooperation led to higher earnings. Your final opinion favours healthy competition but does not explain how it can be balanced with cooperation. Develop these links and make your position clearer across the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a concluding opinion. “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” help signal the contrast, while “For instance” introduces supporting examples. This makes the main direction easy to follow. Some connections are less smooth or precise, however. The shift from competition’s benefits to its mental-health drawback is abrupt, and “They” in “They will always try to compare themselves” has an unclear reference. The conclusion begins with both “In my opinion” and “at the end,” which is repetitive. Use clearer links between claims and examples, and ensure pronouns refer unmistakably to the people or ideas intended.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary, including “competition,” “cooperate,” “common goal,” “mental health” and “communication skills,” which allows you to discuss both sides of the topic. There are also attempts at more expressive phrasing, such as “self-destruction.” However, several word choices and collocations are unnatural or imprecise, including “continue the race of life,” “positive energy,” “well cooperated” and “stubborn employees.” “Oppotunity” is also misspelled, and “comparison is worst” uses an unsuitable form. These choices sometimes make the intended meaning less exact. Aim for natural academic collocations and check spelling and word forms when editing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including a contrast clause (“Competition, however, brings…”) and a relative clause (“which leads to self-destruction”). Most ideas remain understandable, but some errors in verb forms, agreement and sentence construction reduce accuracy. For example, “few argues” should use a plural verb, “which can gives” should be “which can give,” and “cooperative work can easily finishes” should be “can easily finish.” The sentence beginning “In present days” also has an awkward grammatical construction, and the semicolon before “while” in the introduction is not appropriate. Review modal-verb patterns and subject–verb agreement, then proofread punctuation and sentence boundaries.

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