Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

SOME PEOPLE OF SOCIETY BELIEVE THAT COMPARING INDIVIDUAL IN MANNER OF WORK , SCHOOL AND DAILY ROUTINE IN TERM OF COMPETITION IS GOOD WHEREAS OTHER HALF DISAGREE WITH THIS COMPETING ENVIRONMENT AND CONSIDER IT TOXIC AND ASSUME COOPERATING WITH EACH OTHER IS MORE BENEFICIAL. I AGREE WITH NON COMPETITVE THOUGHT AND HELPING NATURE TOWARDS EACH OTHER FOR BETTERMENT OF EVERY INDIVIDUAL.

HEALTHY COMPETITION IS ALWAYS A GOOD THING IN WHICH STUDENTS AND IN OFFICES COLLEAGUES TRY TO DO BETTER. FOR INSTANCE A PLAYER IS PRACTICING DAILY TO COMPETE IN A RACE OR A STUDENT STUDYING HARD FOR ACING IN EXAMS AND GIVING HARD COMPETITION TO OTHER FELLOWS SHOWED THEIR EXCLUSIVE SKILLS MORE ENHANCELY BUT IF WE DO COMPETITION SOLELY FOR INSULTING OR DEMOTIVATING A PERSON. HE OR SHE LOSE HIS CHARM AND SELF CONFIDENCE BECAUSE MAYBE HE IS MORE GOOD INTO SPORTS RATHERTHAN GAMES , SO COMPETITION DONT ALWAYS A MEASURE TO JUDGE INFACT IT CAN CAUSE LONG TERM INFERIORITY COMPLEX AND LACK OF CONFIDENCE.

ON THE OTHER HAND, COOPERATING WITH EACH OTHER GIVES THE SELF ESTEEM TO EVERYONE AND MORE PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE TO A PERSON WHO IS WEAK IN SOME CERTAIN ACTIVITY EITHER ITS SOME OFFICE TASK OR SOME EXAM RATHERTHAN COMPETING WITH THE WEAK ONE TEAM WORK ALWAYS MAKE IT EASY TO DO SOME TASK. FOR INSTANCE WHEN A TEACHER GIVES EXTRA ATTENTION TO A STUDENT WHO IS WEAK IN SOME SUBJECT AND THEN HE PERFORM BETTER THAN EVERYONE THAT PROVES HELPING OTHER INSTEAD OF COMPARING THEM WITH THE QUICK LEARNER HELPS THEM MORE TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW

I BELIEVE HEALTHY COMPETITION IS NECCASARY BUT IT SHOULD BE COMBINED WITH COOPERATIVE NATURE FOR THE BEST OUTCOMES.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both perspectives and state a position: the essay supports cooperation while concluding that healthy competition should also be included. The examples of a student preparing for exams and a teacher helping a struggling student are relevant, and you explain possible effects such as confidence and learning. However, the discussion is uneven: the benefits of competition are introduced, but the paragraph quickly shifts to its harms, so the positive case is not fully developed. Some claims, such as cooperation giving everyone self-esteem, are broad and would benefit from explanation or a specific outcome. To strengthen the response, develop each side more evenly and make the relationship between your initial preference for cooperation and your final balanced opinion clear from the outset.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, one paragraph on competition, one on cooperation, and a concluding opinion. Transitions such as “On the other hand” help signal the shift between views, and the examples generally follow the points they illustrate. However, some sentences contain several ideas joined together, making the progression difficult to follow—for example, the competition paragraph moves from practice and exam preparation to insulting others and then to inferiority. Connections between claims are sometimes unclear, and the conclusion introduces a more balanced position than the introduction. Use clearer sentence boundaries and organise each body paragraph around one main claim, followed by explanation and an example.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “self-confidence,” “team work,” “inferiority complex,” and “practical experience.” These choices show an effort to express consequences and compare the two approaches. However, inaccurate word forms, spelling, and collocations are noticeable and sometimes make meaning less clear. Examples include “comparing individual,” “more enhancelly,” “more good,” and “competing environment.” Some expressions are also imprecise, such as “gives the self esteem to everyone.” Aim for natural topic-specific phrases and check spelling and word forms carefully. More accurate use of familiar vocabulary would improve clarity more than adding ambitious words that do not fit the sentence.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences with clauses, including explanations beginning with “because” and examples introduced by “For instance.” This shows some range, but complex sentences are often difficult to control, and errors frequently affect clarity. For example, “A player is practicing daily … or a student studying hard … showed” shifts between sentence structures and verb forms; “He or she lose his charm” has subject–verb agreement problems; and several sentences run together without clear punctuation. Articles, plurals, and sentence boundaries also need attention. Practise building shorter, complete sentences first, then combine ideas using accurate clauses and consistent verb forms.

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