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)

Some individual thought that competition at work, at school and in daily life is a better thing to go ahead in life but there are also some people who think that they should be adjust with them and feel them more comfortable instead facing opposite to each other.

This essay will explore both views and ideas and will be differentiated ahead in the upcoming program of any idea.

To commence with, the thought of having a competition incourage students to work hard and try to oppose the other students. The sense of facing challenges in everyday life makes everyone strong. By facing this students personality groom everyday and they learned lot of things which they do not know. In the investigation of cambridge university, most of the students work hard for the board exam and maintain their positions in board that is very encouraging way of getting successful in life. To result of, for hard work competition is crucial.

On the other hand, when students oppose each other it makes the sense of stress and also makes the students weak in their personality. By competing each other no one would help others and makes the sense of enmity everywhere. Researches of university of Lahore proved that competition makes the environment stressful and also because of the stressful surrounding children attempt suicide to get rid from this life where everyone competing each other. To conclude with, we should try to help each and also cooperate with each other.

I strongly believe that, we should try to help each other instead of giving the face to face challenge to each other.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both sides of the question and state a clear preference for cooperation in the final paragraph. The point that competition can encourage students to work hard is relevant, as is the concern that rivalry may create stress. However, the discussion is only partially developed: the response focuses almost entirely on students, although the prompt also asks about competition and cooperation at work and in daily life. The examples attributed to Cambridge University and the University of Lahore are asserted rather than explained, so they do not strongly support the claims. The opening also promises to explore the views but does not establish a clear position until the end. Develop each view with a specific explanation and example, and make your opinion clear from the introduction.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a concluding opinion. Transitions such as “On the other hand” help signal the change in viewpoint. However, progression within paragraphs is often unclear: several claims are placed together without showing how one leads to the next, and the conclusion repeats the cooperation point rather than drawing the discussion together. Some linking phrases are inaccurate or mechanical, including “To result of” and “To conclude with.” The opening sentence is also difficult to follow, which makes the essay’s direction unclear at the outset. Use simpler, accurate transitions and organise each body paragraph around one main claim, followed by an explanation and a relevant example.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “competition,” “challenges,” “stress,” “cooperate,” and “successful.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations make the meaning awkward or difficult to understand. For example, “adjust with them,” “oppose the other students,” and “giving the face to face challenge” do not express the intended ideas naturally. There are also noticeable spelling and word-form errors, such as “incourage” and “Researches.” These issues sometimes slow the reader’s understanding. Build a more precise set of expressions for discussing rivalry and teamwork, and check spelling and collocations. Prefer familiar, accurate phrases over ambitious wording that does not fit the context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The essay attempts both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the main ideas can generally be identified. However, the range is limited, and attempts to combine ideas often contain errors that make reading difficult. For example, “some people who think that they should be adjust” has an incorrect verb form, while “By competing each other no one would help others and makes the sense of enmity” has problems with the preposition, agreement, and sentence construction. Other examples include “students personality groom everyday” and “children attempt suicide to get rid from this life.” Review verb forms, subject–verb agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries. Aim for clear, controlled sentences before adding more complex structures.

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

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