Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-04

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)

The term competition has become very common in human life . Some people believe that competition is a boon at work , in academics and in day to day life . While others think that rather than competing with others, focus should be laid to cooperate things more . In my perception , there are several demerits by competing with others , instead of that efforts should be put in more co-operation.

To commence with , competition is increasing rapidly in all sectors . First and for most , competing with others have detrimental effects on the mental health. People often take huge amount of stress which invites depression at very young age. Due to competition , people begin to doubt their ability , intellectual capabilities , and loose self confidence . For instance, in numerous competitive examination such as NEET , JEE, and UPSC plethora of students lost their life, due to competitive environment.

On the flip side , rather than competing with others , we should adapt the optimistic side of competitors .The area in which people are lacking should be more emphasized . Competition can not be fully eradicate , however , it can be minimize . Students should learn to cooperate with others in tender age to develop humbleness towards others . For instance , there was racing competition and one of the player fell while running , his opponent, instead of taking advantage of it helped him and support him to complete the race .

To recapitulate, competing with others is totally a curse as it does not have any merits and could lead individual to their worst . Instead of that , by cooperating , it could help to shape ourselves better for future .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear opinion that cooperation is preferable, and you provide relevant support, including the example of a runner helping a fallen opponent. However, the task asks you to discuss both views, and the benefits of competition are not really explained. The opening calls competition a “boon,” but the essay then focuses almost entirely on its harms, so one side of the discussion remains underdeveloped. The claim that competitive exams have led students to lose their lives is also serious but needs careful explanation or more specific support. To strengthen the response, explain at least one genuine benefit of competition, such as motivating people to improve, then weigh it against the value of cooperation and make your position clear throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. Paragraphs generally have a central focus, and signposts such as “To commence with,” “On the flip side” and “To recapitulate” help readers follow the stages of the argument. However, the progression is not always smooth. The second body paragraph begins by referring to the “optimistic side of competitors,” but the connection between this idea and the following points about cooperation is unclear. Some linking phrases feel formulaic, and references such as “it” in the conclusion do not clearly identify what is being discussed. Use transitions that express the actual relationship between ideas, and make each paragraph develop one clearly stated point.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including terms such as “detrimental effects,” “mental health,” “self confidence” and “cooperate.” These choices help communicate your main concerns, and the examples are generally understandable. There are, however, several inaccurate or unnatural expressions, including “cooperate things more,” “huge amount of stress,” “lost their life” and “shape ourselves better for future.” Some spelling and word-form choices, such as “loose” for “lose” and “co-operation,” also reduce precision. Aim for natural collocations and check spelling carefully. For example, you could describe competition as “placing considerable pressure on people” and say that cooperation helps individuals “prepare for the future.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including cause-and-effect structures such as “Due to competition, people begin to doubt their ability” and a conditional contrast with “however.” The overall meaning is usually clear, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “competing with others have” needs subject–verb agreement, while “it can be minimize” needs a passive form with the correct participle. In “there was racing competition,” an article is missing, and “helped him and support him” shifts verb form within the same construction. Punctuation spacing is also inconsistent. Review agreement, articles, passive forms and parallel verb structures, then proofread sentence by sentence to improve accuracy while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.