Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-28

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)

It is often argued that challenging each other at work, at school and in everyday life will help us greatly, while some of them believe that the work can become more effective if we collaborate with each other. This essay will discuss both views, and I will give my point of view at the end of this essay.

On the one hand, competition between colleagues often helps them to put much effort into their work, which will improve the productivity of the work, and the company can benefit from the individual effort. This will constantly help them to stay ahead of each other, which will encourage them to be more determined and serious about their work. For instance, the position system in schools helps the students to study hard in order to get a better position and stay ahead of other students.

On the other hand, the majority of people disagree with this argument of competing with each other. They believe that the quality and quantity of work can be improved if there are more chances for employers to collaborate with one another. This will greatly improve the quality of the work for the company, and it will encourage a sense of companionship among the colleagues. Moreover, this approach can greatly reduce the stress among the individuals, as people do not need to be under constant pressure of getting at the top.

In the conclusion, I strongly agree with this opinion that we should try to cooperate more, rather than competing against each other, as it will greatly improve the work quality and work enviroment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both sides of the discussion and make your preference for cooperation clear in the conclusion. The competition paragraph gives a relevant explanation—employees may work harder and students may study to improve their position—and the cooperation paragraph identifies benefits such as better work and less stress. However, the response only partly develops these ideas: the school example supports competition, but the workplace claims are broad and lack a specific illustration or explanation of how collaboration improves results. The opening says your view will come “at the end,” so your position is not clear from the outset. State it in the introduction and develop each main point with a concrete example or fuller reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” make the contrast easy to follow, while “Moreover” adds a further point about cooperation. This coherent arrangement is effective, but some linking is mechanical, and repeated references such as “This will” do not always make it clear which preceding idea is being developed. The conclusion repeats the cooperation argument rather than drawing the discussion together. To improve progression, use more precise referencing and vary how you connect explanations and examples, ensuring each paragraph moves from its main claim to supporting detail.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “productivity,” “collaborate,” “companionship,” and “constant pressure.” However, the range is limited by repeated general wording such as “greatly improve,” “work,” and “each other,” and some combinations are unnatural or imprecise. For example, “the position system in schools” is unclear, and “stay ahead of other students” could be expressed more naturally in this context. There is also a spelling error in “enviroment.” Aim for more precise collocations and a wider range of terms for workplace performance and cooperation, while checking spelling and avoiding repeated intensifiers.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, and several longer sentences are controlled well, such as the explanation that collaboration can improve work quality and reduce stress. Subordinate clauses with “which,” “if,” and “as” help you express cause and contrast. Some errors remain, but they rarely prevent understanding. For instance, “some of them believe” has an unclear reference, and “the majority of people disagree with this argument” is grammatically possible but does not clearly identify which view is being opposed. The opening sentence also has an awkwardly balanced structure. To show more control, make references explicit and check that clauses are parallel and clearly connected.

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