Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-13

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 6.5)

The international sports events for example The Olympics or the Football World Cup, are one of the good ways to make countries bond stronger with each other. While some people believe that it does opposite of the friendship, as it creates competition between them. I strongly believe that the closeness it creates by such games are more powerful and should be considered as a good initiative.

There are numerous reasons why individuals think that instead of friendship, the events like the Football World Cup creates the battle field between the nations. The spectators of these kinds of games are emotionally involved in the game along with the players. When for instance they lose the game, the anger and frustration of people grows tremendously and vice versa when they win. They started hating on the players of opposite team. To give more relatable example, when the world cup happened last year, the leader of team which won the world cup, rather than winning got trolled and accused of cheating on the social media which shows why people might think that such games contributes largely in the growing competitive tension across nations.

In contrast, some believe that such international sports events plays a big role in bringing the countries more closer. The main reason behind this thinking is that by allowing such sport events, people get to know each countries culture and strengths. In the setting areas as well, people from different backgrounds come closer which ultimately contributes in strengthening the bond between them. It create a sense of community as well. On social media, for example we can see people supporting Indian team and then next year they were in the support of America, the opposite team in the game of Cricket. People change their perspectives after getting to know each country's team player better. This proves the bond people made during such sport events.

To conclude, Even though international sports events creates the sense of competition across nations, I strongly believe that the benefits of such games in bringing people more closer and creating the sense of community are more powerful and also assist in creating a peace worldwide.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—that international sports events bring countries together and that they create competition—while clearly stating the writer's own opinion in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are extended and supported with relevant examples, such as the mention of social media reactions following a world cup. However, some of the supporting explanations are slightly general or repetitive, placing the response firmly at Band 6.5 to 7. For example, the explanation of how people get to know each other's culture could have been developed further. Overall, the prompt requirements are fully met with a clear position maintained throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus: an introduction with a clear thesis, a body paragraph discussing the competitive view, a body paragraph arguing for unity, and a concluding summary. Cohesive devices such as 'While some people believe', 'In contrast', and 'To conclude' are used effectively to guide the reader. Paragraphing is used appropriately. Although some referencing is slightly loose—for instance, 'such games' appearing frequently—cohesion manages the flow adequately without major disruptions, meeting the criteria for Band 7.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'emotionally involved', 'tremendously', and 'perspective'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and phrasing, such as 'hating on the players', 'setting areas' instead of stadium seating, and 'bringing the countries more closer' (double comparative). While these minor lexical errors and awkward collocations occur, they do not impede communication, making Band 6.0 an appropriate reflection of the writer's lexical resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at subordination and relative clauses, such as 'While some people believe that it does opposite of the friendship, as it creates competition between them.' However, there are several grammatical errors and awkward structures throughout the text, including article omissions ('does opposite of the friendship', 'in game of Cricket'), tense inconsistencies ('they were in the support'), and punctuation slips. These errors occasionally strain the reading process, though meaning remains clear. This balance of complex attempts alongside recurring errors aligns well with Band 6.0 descriptors.

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