Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-30

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)

There is an ongoing debate about whether competing in life with others is advantegous, or whether there should be an environemnt of co-operation. From my perspective, there should be a balance approach. Although, competition encourages individuals to give their best and achieve their goals, co-operation and togetherness is advantegous in certain ascepts as well such as in school and daily life.

On the one hand, proponents of competitve environment argue that competition is beneficial in certain ascepts. To commence with , in schools students work harder and give their best to secure good grades. When they see their classmates are getting good grades it motivates them as well to showcase their talent. Moreover, at work places people work hard to get promotions and high incentives. They see their colleagues working hard it instils a sense of competition in them. So, it plays a crucial role in making people more hardworking and resiliant to achieve their goals.

On the other hand, advocates of co-operation say that it fosters a sense of teamwork in people. Firstly, there are some tasks which a person cannot perform alone so working in a group helps and they can achieve the task together in less time and more effectively. Secondly, working in a team creates a healthy and joyful environment. People do not think of others as their competitors rather they work in a friendly way.

I firmly believe, competition is necessary for motivation and encouragement, however it creates an environment of jealousy, rivalry and lonliness because everyone think of their individual success and it restrains them from maintaining healthy bounding with others. So, there should be a balanced approach with healthy competitive environment where people should feel motivated while working with others.

In conclusion, although competition is advantegious in making people aware of their real potential, co-operation builds an atmosphere of teamwork and togetherness.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both views and give a clear position: you support a balance between competition and cooperation. The discussion of competition is relevant, with examples from school grades and workplace promotions, while the cooperation paragraph explains how teamwork can help people complete tasks more effectively. This covers the task well. To develop the response further, extend some points with specific explanation or an example: for instance, explain when competition might become harmful, or illustrate a task that benefits from cooperation. The claim that cooperation creates a “healthy and joyful environment” is relevant but remains general. Your conclusion restates the main contrast, though it could reinforce more precisely how your balanced approach would work in the settings discussed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, your opinion, and a conclusion. The progression is easy to follow, and signposts such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help readers navigate the argument. Within paragraphs, ideas generally move in a logical order, such as from students’ effort to workplace motivation. Some linking is a little mechanical, however, and repeated transitions like “Firstly” and “Secondly” make the cooperation paragraph feel list-like. The relationship between your balanced position in the introduction and the later concern about jealousy could also be connected more smoothly. Use a wider range of referencing and cause-and-effect links to make the progression feel more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “competition,” “co-operation,” “teamwork,” “promotions,” and “incentives,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts at less common expressions such as “proponents” and “fosters a sense,” but several spelling errors and inaccurate word choices reduce precision: “advantegous,” “environemnt,” “ascepts,” “resiliant,” and “lonliness.” Some phrases are also unnatural or imprecise, including “healthy bounding” and “showcase their talent” in this context. Aim to check spelling carefully and learn common collocations as complete phrases. More precise vocabulary for the effects of competition and cooperation would help you express your ideas with greater flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses such as “Although competition encourages individuals…” and a contrast structure in your opinion paragraph. Most sentences remain understandable, and errors rarely prevent the reader from following your meaning. Some grammatical problems persist, however. For example, “Although” is incorrectly followed by a comma and a complete sentence in the opening, and “everyone think” needs subject–verb agreement. In “When they see their classmates are getting good grades,” the clause structure is awkward; “see that their classmates are getting…” would be clearer. There are also punctuation and article issues, such as the comma after “I firmly believe.” Review agreement, clause construction, and punctuation while continuing to use varied sentence patterns.

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.