Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

a number of individuals said that competition is beneficial at school, at work and in daily life. While others think that people should have better sense of cooperation, rather than creating rivalries in everything. Although competitions allows a person to be motivated to achieve better things, this essay believes that a group in unity can attain better success rather than someone doing things alone.

On one hand, knowing that a competition exist in a certain situation, boost someone's motivation to win in everything to prove that they are better than everyone. This feeling allows a person to work harder to prove to themselves that they are worthy to be proclaimed as the winner. Therefore, a sense of rivalry, increases a person eagerness to achieve better things in life. For example, many students strives and burn the night lamp to ensure that they will have a chance to be the top student of the class. However, this will bring selfishness to a person that may lead to becoming a bad citizen for the nation.

On the other hand, unity and cooperation are proven to lead into better results in almost every situation. Working hand-in-hand gives a group to cover each and everyone's weakness to create a stronger team in conquering a certain task. Therefore, if people are united, they contribute an enormous amount of ideas that will help solve any dilemmas that may soon come. For example, most thesis papers that are created by a group are deemed to be more factual and often shows a reduced margin of error, making it a perfect paper. I believe in the saying that " no man is an island", which means that every person should have a companion to reach better things in life.

In conclusion, competition may be a great way to increase a person's motivation, yet through great teamwork, the chance of successful and better results are multiplied by a thousand times.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both sides of the discussion and state a clear view: competition can motivate individuals, but cooperation produces stronger outcomes. The student example supports the benefits of competition, while the group thesis example and the “no man is an island” idea support cooperation. This meets the task well, and the position is clear. However, some points are asserted more than explained: for instance, the claim that rivalry may make someone “a bad citizen” is not developed, and the thesis-paper example does not fully show how cooperation improves results. To strengthen the response further, explain the consequences of these examples and make the comparison between individual achievement and shared success more precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion that restates your position. “On one hand” and “On the other hand” guide the reader through the discussion, while “Therefore” helps signal results. Ideas generally progress logically within each paragraph. Some links are a little mechanical, however, and the relationship between a claim and its example is not always fully explained. For example, the point about rivalry leading to poor citizenship moves quickly from motivation to a negative consequence. Use a wider range of natural transitions and clearer references, and connect each example explicitly to the argument it is meant to support.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “motivation,” “rivalry,” “cooperation,” “unity,” and “margin of error.” These choices help communicate both the benefits and drawbacks of competition and teamwork. You also attempt more expressive phrases such as “burn the night lamp” and “no man is an island,” though the former is not a natural English expression in this context. Some word choices and collocations are imprecise, including “better sense of cooperation,” “lead into better results,” and “conquering a certain task.” Aim for more natural academic phrasing and check whether each expression fits its context. Greater precision and more consistent collocation would make the vocabulary more effective.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a concessive opening with “Although” and sentences explaining cause and result. Meaning is generally clear, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “competitions allows” has a subject–verb agreement error, and “a competition exist” should use a singular verb. In “many students strives,” the plural subject also requires a plural verb. There are further issues with articles and sentence construction, such as “gives a group to cover” and the opening fragment beginning “While others think.” Review agreement, article use, and how clauses are joined. More consistently accurate complex sentences would improve control without sacrificing the range you are attempting.

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