Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-27

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 6.5)

Certain individuals believe that having a competitive enviroment at the workplace, school and day-to-day life is beneficial while others contend that there should be more cooperation instead of competition among one another. From my perspective, having a cooperative environment proves to be more effective and constructive as it motivates the weaker individuals and promotes productivity.

Having a competition at work, school and in life is a double-edged sword. Although it proves to be beneficial for top scoring students, it makes slow learners de-motivated. Similarly, a competitive work environment pushes employes to give their best but it also becomes a reason for selfishness among the staff. Moreover, in daily life it can be a positive factor to be better than before but it is not the same for everyone as it has been observed that people become frustrated and give up on their life when they see another person achieve something before them and recently few sucide cases have been reported by national investigation department.

Advocates of cooperation contend that working in harmony is better than competing. In educational institutes some students are not good at practical skills and performing a group task in laboratory is only possible if everyone do their work properly so cooperation is a crucial parameter here. Furthermore, growth of a company depends on the overall network and streamlined workflow, that is why a peaceful relation among the employes is mandatory. Our daily life will also become much eas if we cooperate and help each other to become better rather than looking for a chance to become number one.

In conclusion, some people believe that having a costant competition at work, school and daily life is beneficial while others contend that cooperation is more important. I strongly believe that cooperation proves to be more important that competion in a broader sense as it provides an opportunity to the underprivileged.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both sides of the discussion and state a clear preference for cooperation in the introduction and conclusion. The points about competition motivating employees and high-performing students, but discouraging others, are relevant; the examples of group laboratory work and company workflow also support cooperation. This meets the task well, though the two views are not developed equally: the competition paragraph makes several broad claims, and the reference to reported suicides is not explained or connected clearly to the argument. To strengthen the response further, explain the mechanisms behind your examples and qualify generalisations—for instance, when competition can motivate people and when it may undermine teamwork.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion that restates your position. Linking expressions such as “Although,” “Similarly,” and “Furthermore” help show relationships between points. However, some connections feel mechanical, and the competition paragraph moves quickly from students to employees to daily life without developing a clear progression. The sentence about suicide cases is also introduced abruptly, so its relevance to the main point is not fully clear. Use topic sentences to establish each paragraph’s central claim, then group and explain supporting examples in a deliberate order. More precise referencing would also help readers follow phrases such as “it” and “this.”

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “double-edged sword,” “de-motivated,” “streamlined workflow,” and “underprivileged.” These choices help express contrasts and workplace or educational ideas. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “having a competition,” “slow learners de-motivated,” and “a peaceful relation among the employees.” There are also spelling errors, including “enviroment,” “employes,” “sucide,” “costant,” and “competion.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision and control. Check spelling carefully and learn common word partnerships, such as “a competitive environment” and “maintain good working relationships.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including contrast clauses with “Although” and longer sentences explaining consequences. Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “everyone do their work” needs subject–verb agreement (“everyone does their work”), and “cooperation proves to be more important that competition” needs “than.” In “it makes slow learners de-motivated,” the sentence structure is awkward and would be clearer as “it can demotivate slower learners.” The sentence beginning “Moreover, in daily life…” also becomes overloaded, making its relationships harder to follow. Aim for accurate agreement and comparisons, and divide long sentences when they contain several distinct claims.

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