Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-02

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 5.0)

At work, we should cooperate with our collegues. We should not compete with each other in the workplace. Since, it's our company, competing againt each other is not going to help in improving and developing the company. It should be against company rather than competing each other in the same company.

At school, we should compare with each other and compete againt the students in order to become the better version of ourselves. Comparing and competing against each other should improve yourself not to doubt yourself and becoming stress by comparing you with them. When you improve yourself, your future will be better. Our second home is our school. We spend most of our time at school, so the only way to become the better version of yourself is to compete against your classmates. Someone must keep in mind that one should not be egoistic when competing.

I will take daily life as a place apart from work and school. So at home, we should not compete with each other. It's not good for the family. We should show kindness, love to each other. It's more like cooperating and understanding. Even with our neighbourhood, we should adjust with them, which is also cooperating with them.

We have to behave according to the places. In conclusion, rather than competing against each other, it's better to cooperate more with our surroundings and environments. In my opinion i think the word cooperation includes adjustment, kindness, helpful mind, understanding mind, etc.,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address the topic through work, school and family or neighbourhood life, and your conclusion clearly favours cooperation. However, the task asks you to discuss both views, and the case for competition is only briefly developed in the school paragraph; the benefits of workplace competition are not considered. Several claims, such as competing with classmates being the only way to improve, are asserted rather than supported with a specific reason or example. Your position also shifts: you reject competition at work and home but endorse it at school, before concluding that cooperation is generally better. Clarify how these views fit together and develop each with relevant support. The response is three words below the required minimum, so it does not meet the length requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with separate paragraphs for work, school, daily life and a conclusion, so readers can identify the main areas being discussed. However, progression between ideas is sometimes unclear. For example, “It should be against company rather than competing each other” does not clearly explain the intended contrast, and the move from school competition to “Our second home is our school” does not add a well-connected supporting point. Linking phrases such as “So” and “In conclusion” help, but connections are often repetitive or mechanical. The final paragraph also introduces a broad conclusion without resolving the different positions taken in the earlier paragraphs. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each example directly to the argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “cooperate,” “compete,” “kindness,” “understanding” and “egoistic,” and the main ideas are generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several words or phrases are repeated, especially “compete,” “cooperating” and “better version of ourselves.” Some choices are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “competing against the company” when you appear to mean competing with other businesses, and “helpful mind.” Spelling errors such as “collegues” and “againt” are noticeable. Aim for more precise topic vocabulary and natural collocations, while checking spelling. This would make your discussion clearer and less repetitive.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You communicate mainly through simple sentences and make some attempts at longer structures, such as “When you improve yourself, your future will be better.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to affect clarity. For example, “Since, it's our company” is an incomplete sentence with incorrect punctuation, while “competing againt each other is not going to help in improving” has an awkward grammatical construction. In “Comparing and competing against each other should improve yourself,” the subject and pronoun do not agree. The final sentence, “In my opinion i think,” also has faulty capitalisation and redundant phrasing. Practise forming complete sentences, maintaining consistent subjects and pronouns, and punctuating introductory clauses.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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