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)
A significant number of people think that being competitive at school, at work and in daily life is a good thing while others believe that we should try to be cooperative, rather than competing against each other. I think that a balanced approach is ideal.
On the one hand, being competitive can prove to be beneficial for an individual at the professional and academic level. It makes you confident, build your self-esteem and makes you persistent. An individual who is competitive would always be looking for the challenges in order to test their skills. For example, taking part in speech competitions, sports and various projects that tests their capabilities. As a result, that person would get to know about their weak points in order to put some work on them.
On the other hand, cooperating with others could be beneficial as it us teaches to be tolerant.
It would help a person to become resilient and patient because it could demand you to work with certain individuals who often have the completely different personality traits than you. As a result, it could also develop some very beneficial leadership skills in people. Cooperating with others also result in helping those who cannot help themselves in certain tasks.
In conclusion, although being competitive can be very beneficial, cooperating with others could also build some useful traits in an individual. So we should try be competitive as well as cooperative, a balanced approach would help us to build a beautiful career and a life.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You discuss both competition and cooperation and state a clear view in the introduction: “a balanced approach is ideal.” The examples of speech competitions, sports and projects are relevant, and you explain some benefits of cooperation, including patience and leadership. However, several points remain general or are not fully explained—for instance, how competition improves confidence, or how cooperation helps people who “cannot help themselves.” The conclusion repeats your position rather than developing it further. The response is also 7 words below the 250-word minimum; the 8 words copied from the task prompt are not counted. Add a specific example and explain how it supports your view to address the task more fully.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” make the overall organisation easy to follow. However, progression within the body paragraphs is limited, and some links between ideas are unclear. For example, the move from cooperation developing patience to developing leadership skills needs an explanation of how one leads to the other. The phrase “As a result” is used to connect claims, but the cause-and-effect relationship is not always established. Develop each paragraph around a clear main point, then use specific explanation or an example to connect supporting ideas more naturally.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “persistent,” “self-esteem,” “resilient,” and “leadership skills,” and the meaning is generally clear. However, the range is somewhat repetitive, with frequent use of “beneficial,” “individual,” and “person.” Some word combinations are awkward or imprecise, such as “put some work on them” and “build a beautiful career and a life.” “Looking for the challenges” is also less natural than a more precise expression. These choices do not prevent understanding, but they limit fluency and precision. Aim for more natural collocations and vary repeated terms—for example, describe addressing weaknesses, pursuing challenges, or building a successful career and fulfilling life.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “because” and “in order to,” and the main ideas remain understandable. However, errors occur often enough to make some sentences awkward. In “It makes you confident, build your self-esteem and makes you persistent,” the verb forms are not parallel; “it also teaches” is needed in “it us teaches”; and “Cooperating with others also result” has subject–verb disagreement. There are also problems with relative-clause agreement in “projects that tests” and with the construction “we should try be competitive.” Review agreement, parallel verb forms, and infinitive patterns. More accurate control of these structures would make your argument easier to read.
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