Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-13

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 5.5)

Many people argue that sports events that take place globally, like The Olympics or any sport world cup, helps in connecting one country to another. Whereas others believe that such events may result in rivalry due to competition among countries. This essay will support the view that conducting such events can be a chance for countries to get in touch with other countries.

Sporting event is a place where players get to show their talent, meanwhile the audience gets entertainment. It is widely believed that conducting such sports events is a good approach to bring countries together. Players from different countries across the world come together to play which helps in all the contestents to get to know each other and creates new friendships.

On the other hand, many disagree with the given view because they feel such event might create enemity between countries due to competition. In my opinion, this case might not be true as sports is just a game not a war to create competition. The match is won by the team, whose players have better skills in game and who did well. The scores are given on fair scale, so if a team loses, they will be well aware of what could be done better and how to improve next time. Therefore, there is no reason for anyone to develop negative feeling due to sports.

In conclusion, International sports events must be held as it is a good way to bring countries together. Such events do not create competion between countries just because of sports.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both views and make your position clear: you support international events as a way to connect countries, while acknowledging the concern that competition may create rivalry. The explanation that athletes meet and form friendships is relevant, and you give a reason for rejecting the opposing view by describing sport as a fair contest rather than a war. However, the discussion is only partly developed. The claim that players get to know one another is not illustrated or explained in much detail, and the opposing view is presented briefly before being dismissed. Extend each side with a specific example, such as cooperation between athletes or tensions between rival supporters, and explain how this supports your opinion. This would make the response more fully address the task rather than relying on broad assertions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph presenting the benefits, a paragraph considering the opposing view, and a conclusion. The progression from one view to the other is easy to follow, and signposts such as “On the other hand” and “In conclusion” help readers understand the organisation. Some connections are less smooth or precise, however. “Whereas” begins a fragment-like contrast after the opening sentence, and “meanwhile” does not clearly express the relationship between players and the audience. The final paragraph also repeats the central claim without adding a concluding implication. Use linking expressions that show the exact relationship between ideas, and connect each supporting sentence explicitly to the paragraph’s main point. This would make cohesion less mechanical and improve the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “rivalry,” “competition,” “talent,” “skills,” and “improve,” so the main ideas are generally understandable. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “a good approach to bring countries together.” However, the range is limited and some word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive. “Sport world cup” and “conducting such sports events” sound unnatural, while “negative feeling” is imprecise for the intended meaning. Spelling errors such as “contestents,” “enemity,” and “competion” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more natural topic-specific phrases and check spelling carefully; for example, refer to “international sporting competitions” and “host or stage an event.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including a relative clause in “the team, whose players have better skills” and a conditional structure in “if a team loses.” Most ideas remain understandable, but some errors in sentence structure and agreement are noticeable. In the opening, “events … helps” has a plural subject and needs a plural verb; “Whereas others believe…” is not a complete sentence as written. Other examples include “Sporting event is a place” and “helps in all the contestents to get to know each other,” where article use and sentence construction need attention. The sentence about scores being given “on fair scale” also needs an article. Review subject–verb agreement, articles, and how to join contrasting clauses, while continuing to use varied sentence forms.

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