Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-01

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 6.0)

Many individuals believe perfroming better and competing with our peers in any environment can be beneficial. While, others suggest collaborating and being coorperative can be more advantagrous rather than racing against each other. I strongly believe regardless of a professional or academic setting, individuals should promote values of collaboration.

Different forms of competition are observed where-ever we go. It is often noticed that companies compete with each other in order to gain large amount of market share. However, it is noticed not only the big organisation that compete with one another but also individuals of different age groups often tend to be competitive.

While healthy competition has numerous benefits such as encouraging a person to enhance their performance which can consequently results in gaining knowlege and skill.

However, this competitive edge can often lead to obsession and can turn unhealthy. Often times feelings such disappointment and depression are felt when an individual dont meet their goals envisioned by them. People often associate their worth and value to the end result which can lead to feelings like loss of sense of self. One noteable example is observed among students appearing for examinations. A healthy and fun competition is observed among students preparing together for their tests. However, if they underperform in comparison to others and their own expectations, it can lead to feelings of jealosy and unworthiness.

While on the other hand promoting values of collaboration and being collabative promote feelings of brotherhood and togetherness. One individual can be performing well, while continuing their journey they can also act as a catalyst to help others achieve their goals and visions. The feelings of "being behind" , insecurity and jealosy are replaced with the idea of: achieving own goals and facilitating others to reach theirs. I strongly believe promoting collaboration can be beneficial in any life stage or aspect of life. For example, often times freshers join organisations without prior experience, they often find it difficult navigating the tasks they are assigned. During this phase , many seniors choose to be collaborative and guide the new joinee by assessing the task. This teamwork enhances teams productivity additionally helps the organisation grow.

In conclusion, I believe competition can help enhance one's skills and capability’s if it does not turn into unhealthy obsession leading to feelings of jealosy and anguish. While collaboration in all different environments can proove to enhance and improve overall results.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both sides of the discussion and state a clear preference for collaboration in the introduction and conclusion. The response gives relevant reasons: competition may encourage people to improve, but can also create pressure and jealousy; cooperation can help newcomers and improve team productivity. The student-examination example supports the risks of competition, while the workplace example illustrates collaboration. This meets the task well, and the clear position and relevant support show some qualities of a stronger response. However, the benefits of competition are less fully explained than its drawbacks, and the discussion of cooperation relies mainly on one workplace scenario. Develop both sides more evenly by explaining how competition can drive innovation or achievement, and by adding a distinct example of cooperation in school or daily life.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, discussion of competition, a paragraph on collaboration, and a conclusion. Ideas generally progress from the possible benefits of competition to its risks, then to the advantages of cooperation. Examples are placed near the points they support. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or unclear. The repeated use of “However” and “While on the other hand” creates awkward transitions, and the opening of the second paragraph shifts between companies and individuals without a clear link. Some references, such as “this phase” and “they,” require the reader to infer their exact meaning. Use fewer formulaic transitions, make links between claims explicit, and ensure each paragraph develops one central point.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic-related vocabulary, including “market share,” “competitive edge,” “collaboration,” “insecurity,” and “productivity.” These choices help communicate the main ideas, and some less common expressions show an attempt to be precise. However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable, including “perfroming,” “coorperative,” “advantagrous,” “knowlege,” and “jealosy.” Some phrases are also unnatural or imprecise, such as “feelings of brotherhood” and “assessing the task.” These do not prevent understanding, but they limit the accuracy and naturalness of the vocabulary. Proofread spelling carefully and learn common collocations, for example, “share knowledge,” “provide guidance,” and “a sense of belonging.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including conditional and relative clauses, as in “if they underperform in comparison to others” and “which can lead to feelings like loss of sense of self.” The overall meaning is usually clear, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “can consequently results” has an incorrect verb form, “an individual dont meet” has subject–verb and auxiliary agreement problems, and “feelings such disappointment” is missing a preposition. Sentence boundaries and punctuation also need attention: “While healthy competition has numerous benefits…” is left as a fragment, and commas are sometimes placed awkwardly around introductory phrases. Check verb forms, articles, and clause completeness, then proofread punctuation.

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