Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-31

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 argue that competition in the work place and at school is a favourable activity in daily life while others think that we should try to cooperate more, rather than competing against each other. I believe that the competition is beneficial in workplace and at school because it encourages improve their skills and achieve better results.

When people compete with each other, they try to work harder and improve their skills in order to achieve better results. For instance, students at school compete in exams to perform better. This helps them improve their skills and become more confident.

On the other hand, some people believe that cooperation is more important because it promotes teamwork and mutual understanding. When people work together, they can share their knowledge and ideas, which helps them solve problems more effectively. For example, employees in a workplace can complete tasks more efficiently when they support and help each other. Therefore, cooperation can create a positive working environment.

In conclusion, although cooperation has several benefits, I believe that competition is more beneficial because it motivates people to work harder, improve their skills and achieve better results.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You discuss both competition and cooperation and state a clear preference for competition, supported by relevant examples about students and employees. However, the ideas are brief: the exam example says competition builds confidence, but does not explain how this benefit arises or consider possible drawbacks. The cooperation paragraph is also more developed in its explanation of teamwork than your argument for competition. The response contains 177 words, so it is 73 words below the required minimum; this limits the space available to develop the discussion. To strengthen the response, explain each view in more depth and add a specific example or consequence before restating your position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. Transitions such as “On the other hand” and “In conclusion” make the progression easy to follow, and the examples are placed alongside the relevant arguments. Cohesion is sometimes mechanical, however, because the paragraphs rely on a small set of repeated links and similar sentence patterns. The conclusion also repeats the introduction’s reasons almost word for word. Use a wider range of linking and referencing, and make the relationship between ideas more explicit—for example, connect the benefits of cooperation to situations where competition may be less effective. This would make the progression more flexible and less repetitive.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “mutual understanding,” “efficiently,” and “positive working environment.” The wording is generally understandable, but the range is limited and several expressions are repetitive or imprecise. “Favourable activity” is an awkward way to describe competition, while “competition is beneficial” and “achieve better results” recur without much variation. There is also a word-form problem in “encourages improve their skills”; this belongs to vocabulary because the form after “encourages” is not appropriately expressed. Aim for more natural collocations and precise alternatives, while keeping the language clear. This would give your discussion greater flexibility without sacrificing accuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple sentences and some complex forms, including “When people compete with each other…” and “although cooperation has several benefits…”. Most sentences communicate their meaning clearly, but there are some grammatical errors and the range of structures is modest. In the introduction, “I believe that the competition is beneficial … because it encourages improve their skills” has an unnecessary article before “competition” and an incorrect verb pattern; write “competition … because it encourages people to improve their skills.” The opening sentence also shifts awkwardly from “Some people argue” to “others think,” though the meaning remains clear. Practise accurate verb patterns and vary sentence structures to express comparisons and consequences.

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