Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-24

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)

International sporting events such as Olympic Games and football world cup attract people from different countries. Some people believe that these events help nations to develop strong communication. While others argue that they increase competition. In my opinion, although sports events bring closer friendships and better communication, also create tough competition between nations.

On the one hand, international sports events can bring different countries at one place where they live, eat and play together while they are competitors. Which also give them opportunity to communicate and understand each other's cultures. In addition, they show mutual respect for every player. For instance, during the Olympic games, athletes play from various countries often show respect and support to their competitors even they are playing in competition.

On the other hand, these events create competition and rivalry between different countries. Athletes and teams play to win the medals and trophies and supporters can become highly emotional about the results. In some cases, strong nation pride often create strong arguments between fans, particularly when there is a long standing rivalry. For example, in traditional football matches, it become great rivalry between supporters because it creates intense competition. However, this rivalry is generally limited to sports and create no harm to relationships.

In conclusion, international sports events involve competition because countries and athletes want to succeed. Moreover, I believe that these events encourage exchange of different cultural values, great respect for each other and communication. Therefore, their ability to connect people from different nations can be an important benefit of international sports.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views (international sports events as a way to bring countries together and as sources of competition/rivalry) and clearly presents the writer's own opinion. The position is maintained throughout the essay. The ideas are relevant and generally well supported, though some points, such as the discussion on cultural understanding, could be extended further. For instance, mentioning specific ways athletes interact would strengthen the development. However, the writer covers the prompt adequately, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.5 or 7.0. Given the clarity of the arguments and the balanced discussion, a Band 6.5 is appropriate as some ideas remain slightly under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay has a clear overall progression and is logically organised into four paragraphs: an introduction, two body paragraphs addressing each view, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', 'In addition', and 'In conclusion', which help structure the essay. However, there are some mechanical or slightly faulty cohesive links and referencing issues, such as the sentence fragment 'Which also give them opportunity...', where a relative clause is punctuated as a separate sentence. Additionally, transitions between ideas can feel slightly abrupt. Overall, the text demonstrates a coherent arrangement, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'mutual respect', 'long standing rivalry', and 'cultural values'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies throughout the text. For example, 'bring different countries at one place' should be 'bring different countries together in one place', 'nation pride' should be 'national pride', and 'create no harm' should be 'cause no harm'. Spelling and word-form errors occur occasionally, but they do not impede communication. This vocabulary profile aligns well with the Band 6 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some ambition with subordinate clauses, such as 'While others argue that they increase competition' and 'although sports events bring closer friendships... also create tough competition'. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation lapses. For instance, fragment sentences like 'Which also give them opportunity...' and subject-verb agreement issues like 'athletes play from various countries often show' and 'it become great rivalry' detract from the accuracy. While these errors do not severely impede overall communication, they prevent the essay from reaching a higher band, placing it firmly at Band 6.0.

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