Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-21
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)
Some people believe that sports activities in various countries such as The Olympics and the Football World Cup, bring countries closer, whereas others think that it only creates sense of competition and not friendship. I, therefore only partially agree with this view and will discuss in detail before presenting my own opinion.
On the one hand, people think that participating in variety of events develop good connections between countries and they get a chance to remain connected with each other. For example, if any event occurs in international level then, people who are fond of watching World Cup enjoy these activities with their families. In addition, sportsmen also want to explore other countries and get a chance to meet their colleagues. As a result, they represent their countries which turns out to be highly beneficial for them.
On the other hand, excessive competition may leads to negative consequences between participants as well as countries. For instance, many countries create a false narrative to the opponent country's members and some may believe that they will behave harshly with rivalry team members. Therefore, they begin their matches with the bad behavior which often disrupts the confidence among individuals.
In my opinion, having a sense of competition is a good initiative but completely focusing on games may lead to enhance jealousy factors rather than friendship. As we sometimes meet someone, so it is better to build good friendship and proceed towards game smoothly.
In conclusion, building strong relationships among countries result in an excellent bond between countries. Consequently, focusing only on game often creates resentment between people and countries.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—that international sports events bring countries together and that they create competition and conflict—while also providing a personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and lacks specific, well-known examples from events like the Olympics or World Cup. For instance, the discussion on how countries create a false narrative lacks clarity and precise elaboration. While the student's stance is stated in the introduction, it is phrased slightly confusingly as 'only partially agree with this view and will discuss in detail'. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, placing it at a solid band 6.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is structured into five distinct paragraphs, demonstrating an awareness of paragraphing conventions. Ideas follow a logical sequence overall, moving from an introduction to body paragraphs discussing each view, followed by personal opinion and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and transitions are sometimes mechanical or slightly unclear, such as the sentence 'As we sometimes meet someone, so it is better to build good friendship...', which disrupts the smooth progression of ideas. Paragraphing and general layout are appropriate for a standard essay format.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate basic arguments. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'excessive competition', 'negative consequences', and 'resentment'. However, inaccuracies in word choice and collocation are noticeable throughout the text, such as 'sports activities in various countries such as The Olympics' instead of 'international sporting events', and 'jealousy factors' instead of 'feelings of jealousy'. Additionally, 'rivalry team members' should be 'rival team members'. These errors do not impede communication but restrict the lexical score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and preposition use. For example, 'excessive competition may leads to' contains an incorrect verb form, and 'if any event occurs in international level then' should use 'at an international level'. Furthermore, punctuation and article usage are occasionally faulty. While these errors rarely completely impede communication, they persist throughout the response and prevent the writer from achieving a higher band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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