Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-06

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people believe that international sports events, such as The Olympics or the Football World Cup, are a good way to bring countries together. Others say that these events create competition, not friendship, between countries.

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)

Major international sports events are often a subject of debate regarding their true impact on global relations. While some argue that they create rivalry, I believe they play a vital role in bringing nations together. But it can also hit some conflicts.

On the one hand people believe That such competitions only create a spirit of competition and nothing more, and they are partially right. For example, when the World Cup final is on, the countries that previously lost most often root for the finalists and they uniting with other command. Matches also often bring fans of the same team closer together. For example, when people go to bars where football is shown, they root for the same team and rejoice together. But all this is good until controversial situations in terms of refereeing occur at the championship.

On the other hand there some problems that may cause bad continuation. For example excessive desire to win at any cost. This could subsequently lead to loud disputes between fans, and could also reach political controversy surrounding the matches. Another problem, as I said, is possible corruption and purchased matches, which leads to even greater conflicts. For example, the recent World Cup gave rise to many conflicts in the area of issues such as unfair refereeing and major matches.

In conclusion, I can say that the football world cup unites friendly countries, but it can also further increase the conflict between unfriendly ones. Although sport creates controversy, But the sheer force of the union outweighs these negative aspects.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both views and state a position: the introduction favours unity, while the conclusion recognises that events may worsen tensions between unfriendly countries. However, the discussion only partly fulfils the task because the two sides are not developed with clear, well-supported explanations. The examples about fans supporting finalists or gathering in bars mainly describe shared enthusiasm, rather than showing how international events bring countries together. The claims about corruption and unfair refereeing are relevant, but “the recent World Cup” is not identified or explained, so the example remains vague. Clarify the distinction between competition within sport and cooperation between nations, then support each view with a specific, explained example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion, and signposts such as “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” help identify the contrasting views. However, progression within the paragraphs is uneven: the first body paragraph moves from countries supporting finalists to fans in bars, then to refereeing disputes without clearly linking these points to the main argument. The second paragraph similarly lists possible problems without developing their relationship. Some linking is inaccurate or repetitive, including “For example” several times and the contrastive “But” at the start of the final sentence. Organise each paragraph around one central claim, explain it, and use references and transitions that make the connection between ideas explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “rivalry,” “controversial situations,” “corruption,” and “political controversy,” so the reader can follow the general subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are unnatural or unclear, such as “bad continuation,” “they uniting with other command,” and “the sheer force of the union.” These expressions make parts of the argument difficult to interpret. Repetition of “conflicts,” “for example,” and “matches” also limits flexibility. Aim for precise phrases that describe the relationship between countries, such as diplomatic tensions, international solidarity, or sporting rivalry, and check that each expression fits its context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including a conditional construction (“This could subsequently lead to…”) and a concession beginning “Although.” However, errors are frequent, and some sentences are difficult to understand. Examples include “On the other hand there some problems,” which is missing a verb, and “they uniting with other command,” which has an incorrect verb form and unclear structure. There are also problems with agreement and sentence construction in “the countries that previously lost most often root for the finalists,” as well as inconsistent capitalisation and punctuation, such as “But” after a comma in the conclusion. Practise building accurate subject–verb sentences first, then add subordinate clauses and check each sentence for a complete structure.

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