Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-18

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In many countries nowadays, consumers can go to a supermarket and buy food produced all over the world.

Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Whether competition or cooperation yields better results in workplaces, schools, and daily life is a subject of ongoing debate. While some argue that rivalry drives progress, others contend that collaboration fosters a healthier environment. In reality, these two forces are not mutually exclusive but rather complementary aspects of human interaction, each playing a distinct role depending on the context.

Proponents of competition argue that it serves as a powerful catalyst for excellence. In the workplace, healthy rivalry among employees can enhance performance and skill development. For instance, when staff members compete for promotions or recognition, they are often motivated to increase their productivity and innovate more creatively. Similarly, in academic settings, competitive exams encourage students to strive for higher grades, thereby improving overall educational standards. However, excessive competition can lead to detrimental outcomes, such as heightened stress, anxiety, and emotional burnout, which may ultimately harm individual well-being.

Conversely, those who prioritize cooperation emphasize the strength of unity. Collaboration is often essential for achieving complex goals that require diverse skills. In clinical settings, for example, effective teamwork among doctors, nurses, and specialists is crucial for ensuring patient safety and quality of care. A disjointed medical team can lead to critical errors, whereas a coordinated approach ensures optimal health outcomes. Furthermore, in education, group projects teach students how to communicate and share responsibilities, fostering social skills alongside academic knowledge. Nevertheless, unstructured cooperation can sometimes result in inefficiency, particularly if contributions are unequal, leading to frustration and poor results.

In my view, the key lies in balancing competition and cooperation. Neither approach is universally superior; their value varies by context. In scenarios requiring rapid innovation or individual accountability, competition is beneficial. Conversely, tasks demanding synergy and long-term stability benefit from cooperation. Therefore, individuals and organizations should strategically integrate both elements to maximize potential while minimizing negative impacts.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 3.0

Although the student's essay is written to a high standard, there is a critical issue regarding task relevance. The prompt asks whether the availability of global food in supermarkets is a positive or negative development. However, the student's entire essay discusses whether competition or cooperation yields better results in workplaces, schools, and daily life. This means the response has addressed a completely different topic, resulting in a severe off-topic submission. Consequently, the position is not relevant to the prompt, and the ideas presented, while well-developed in isolation, do not answer the set question. In accordance with official band descriptors, a response that is largely off-topic cannot achieve a satisfactory score for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

Despite the major task response issue, the structural organization of the essay demonstrates strong writing skills. The text is divided into clear, logical paragraphs, starting with a well-crafted introductory paragraph ('Whether competition or cooperation yields better results...'), followed by balanced body paragraphs examining both sides, and concluding with a synthesis. Cohesive devices such as 'For instance', 'Similarly', 'However', 'Conversely', and 'Furthermore' are used accurately and flexibly to guide the reader through the argument. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, maintaining a logical progression of ideas from start to finish.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

The writer displays a wide and natural lexical range. Throughout the response, sophisticated and less common items are employed with good awareness of style and collocation, such as 'mutually exclusive', 'catalyst for excellence', 'heightened stress', and 'long-term stability'. Word choices are precise, and there are virtually no spelling or lexical errors that impede communication. The vocabulary deployed throughout the essay is flexible and mature, showing an ability to discuss complex conceptual arguments with ease.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

The grammatical control in this response is exceptional. The writer uses a wide variety of complex sentence structures, including conditional clauses, participial phrases, and nominalizations, with a high degree of accuracy. The vast majority of sentences are completely error-free, demonstrating a firm command of punctuation and syntax. Examples such as 'In clinical settings, for example, effective teamwork among doctors, nurses, and specialists is crucial for ensuring patient safety and quality of care' highlight this strong control, with only very rare or non-existent structural slips.

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