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 a world were people are often caught up by their own lives and do not focus on others, many people believe we should try to cooperate more. On the other hand, others suggest competing at school, work and in daily life is a good thing. Overall, I believe both point of views have their positives and are necessary for the development of the individual and the advancement of the society.

Competition is important especially for young children because it stimulates them to give their best. Watching their peers taking good marks at school can increase children's desire to do better. In a similar way, competition can boost a team's productivity in the work environment. However, I believe competition is useful especially when the effort is recognized through prizes or some sort of reward.

Cooperation is not less important and can be even more useful to reach a collective goal. For example, in big projects usually a wide range of different professional figures are required, from the project manager to technical workers. Moreover, cooperation is useful for students; for example, many time students particularly good in math may lack languages skills, so students could help each others in subjects in which they find more difficulties.

In conclusion, I believe every extreme point of view that gives more importance to competition or cooperation can be unhealthy for both the individual and the community. I think competition is necessary to make individuals give their best, but cooperation can let the individual grow and the society advance.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You discuss both competition and cooperation and give a clear overall position: both are valuable, while extremes are unhealthy. Relevant examples—students responding to classmates’ marks, workplace productivity, and people contributing different skills to projects—support the main points. However, some ideas are less fully developed than others: the claim that competition works best when rewards are offered is introduced but not explained, and the examples could show more clearly how cooperation benefits outcomes. The response is also 246 words, four words below the 250-word minimum; the eight words copied from the prompt are not counted. Develop one or two examples further and ensure the response meets the required length.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, separate paragraphs for competition and cooperation, and a conclusion that restates your position. Linking phrases such as “On the other hand,” “Moreover,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the discussion. The progression is generally logical, although some connections are mechanical or could be more precise. For instance, “However” introduces the point about rewards, but the contrast with the preceding claim about productivity is not fully clear. The examples within the cooperation paragraph also move quickly from workplace projects to students. Use transitions that explain the relationship between ideas, and make references such as “this” or “it” explicit where needed to strengthen cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “stimulates,” “productivity,” “collective goal,” and “advancement.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and the response remains easy to understand. Some word choices and collocations are less natural or precise, however: “caught up by their own lives,” “taking good marks,” and “professional figures” do not express the intended meanings idiomatically. There are also errors in forms such as “point of views” and “languages skills.” Aim for more accurate collocations and check plural and word forms. More precise vocabulary would also help distinguish the benefits of individual competition from those of collaborative work.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses such as “because it stimulates them to give their best” and “in which they find more difficulties.” Most sentences convey their meaning clearly, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “a wide range of different professional figures are required” has a subject–verb agreement issue, while “many time students” and “students could help each others” contain errors in number and agreement. The opening “In a world were” also uses the wrong form of “where.” Review agreement, plural forms, and relative clauses, then proofread carefully. Greater accuracy across these structures would make the argument smoother without requiring more complicated sentences.

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