Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

There is a believe held among people that the competition at work, at school and in daily life should take place. However, others disagree and prefer the cooperation to the competing of those. In my opinion, keeping the competitive environment creates more opportunities for improvement that equality between competitors.

To start with, in the competitive enviroment people are more prone to develop their proffesional skills, as much as spread personal knowledge and improve certain abilities. Children are naturally targeting better marks at school to impress their mates or take a higher position in the ranking. At the same time, working parents are aiming a higher salaries level to improve their famalies status and increase the income. Not only the comparison with other people boostes the productivity, but also gives the direction of futher movement. For instance, siblings can compete in sports or studing, increasing the complexity of tasks over time as they grow.

On the other hand, cooperation can make the environment more friendly and encouraging in a long term. One clear example is that some schools already provided the rool that children will not be able to see marks of other achivers in order to keep kids more comfortable in making mistakes. In this way students are not judging by grades, but pay more attention to personal traits while making friends.

In conclusion, keeping the environment competitive has more advanteges that disadvant

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You present a clear preference for competition, and the first body paragraph gives relevant reasons, including skill development, motivation at school and work, and the example of siblings. However, the task asks you to discuss both views, and cooperation receives only a brief paragraph with one school example; its benefits are not explored as fully as competition’s. Your conclusion is cut off at “disadvant…”, so it does not complete your final judgement. The response also contains 224 words, which is 26 words below the required minimum; the nine words copied from the prompt are excluded from that count. Develop the cooperation argument and finish with a complete conclusion to address the task more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for competition and cooperation, and an attempted conclusion. Transitions such as “To start with” and “On the other hand” help signal the change in viewpoint, and the examples generally follow the points they illustrate. However, progression is uneven because the cooperation paragraph is much shorter, and the final sentence ends abruptly, leaving the overall argument incomplete. Some links are also mechanical or unclear: “Not only … but also” does not connect its ideas smoothly, while “In this way” has an uncertain reference. Build each paragraph around one clearly stated point, explain the example’s relevance, and use linking phrases that show precise relationships between ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt topic-related vocabulary, including “competitive environment,” “productivity,” “ranking,” and “cooperation,” which helps communicate the main ideas. However, the range is limited and several spelling, word-form, and collocation errors make parts of the response less clear or natural. Examples include “enviroment,” “proffesional,” “famalies status,” and “a higher salaries level.” Some expressions, such as “the cooperation to the competing of those,” are difficult to interpret, and “futher movement” is imprecise in context. Aim for accurate, natural combinations rather than more complicated phrasing: for example, use “professional skills,” “higher salaries,” and “family’s standard of living.” Proofreading spelling and word forms would also improve clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You use both simple sentences and attempts at more complex structures, such as “Not only … but also” and the clause beginning “in order to keep kids more comfortable.” This shows some range, but complex constructions are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to affect clarity. For example, “There is a believe held among people that…” has an incorrect article and noun form, while “Children are naturally targeting better marks” has an awkward verb construction. In “students are not judging by grades,” the passive form is incomplete; “students are not judged by their grades” would be grammatical. There are also agreement and article problems in “a higher salaries level.” Practise accurate clause construction, verb forms, and articles before adding more complex patterns.

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