Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Some masses argue competition in daily life is a good thing. Such as, Competition can be at work and at school. while, others believe we should try to cooperate more instead of competing against each other. In my opinion, competiton is a type of encouragement to perform any task. In the situation of comparison we complete our task five times faster. In contrast, if there will be no comparison between class and work places, we cannot perform in a better way.

On the one hand, some people think competition in at school and work places help us to perform our best because when a person is in a situation where other participants are also performing same task, they will give their all efforts to the task for the sake of comparison of results. For instance, one of the psychological Research in Pakistan shows 80% students gave better results in the competition situation.

On the other hand, some folks argue we should not push our self in a competition stage instead of doing this we should develop the environment of coperation. Moreover, they think in the stage of race they feel more pressure of work eaither the task is not to much complicated. For instance, in UK 89 percent employers mentall health is effected because of the contest which they face on their work place.

In my perspective, having a race is our lives is beneficial because they help us to work hard and can achieve our different life goals.

In conclusion, in a situation of competiton having a mental stress of work can create a bad effect on our mental and physical health. Furthermore, We should create a boundries in our that winning and losing are the part of our life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both sides of the question and state a preference for competition, particularly in the opening and final opinion paragraph. The examples about students and employers also show an attempt to support each view. However, the discussion is only partly developed: the claim that people complete tasks “five times faster” is not explained, and the two statistics are presented without enough context to show how they support the argument. Cooperation is described mainly as reducing pressure, but its potential benefits—such as sharing skills or solving problems together—are not explored. Your conclusion also introduces the negative effects of competition without clearly reconciling them with your stated preference. Develop each side with a clear reason and explanation, and make your final position consistent throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, an opinion, and a conclusion. Phrases such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help signal the stages of the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear, and the separate opinion paragraph repeats the position rather than extending the argument. Some links are awkward or do not show the intended relationship, as in “In contrast, if there will be no comparison…” and “Furthermore” before the final point about boundaries. References such as “they” in “they help us” are also unclear. Organise each body paragraph around one main claim, then explain and illustrate it, using linking expressions only where their meaning fits.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “competition,” “cooperate,” “participants,” “pressure,” and “mental health,” so the reader can follow the general subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the meaning difficult to interpret. Examples include “some masses” for people, “comparison of results,” “competition stage,” and “create a boundries.” Spelling and word-form errors such as “competiton,” “coperation,” and “mentall” also reduce accuracy. Aim to learn common word partnerships for this topic and check spelling carefully. More precise expressions such as “competitive environment,” “collaborate with colleagues,” and “work-related stress” would help you express your ideas more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a conditional structure in “if there will be no comparison…” and a reason clause beginning “because when a person…”. However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence boundaries can make parts difficult to read. For example, “competition in at school and work places help us” has problems with the preposition, article, and subject–verb agreement; “they will give their all efforts” is not grammatically well formed; and “in a situation of competiton having a mental stress…” lacks a clear sentence structure. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent. Practise building accurate sentences with one main clause and a subordinate clause, then check agreement and articles before adding further complexity.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.