Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-08

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)

Some individuals argue that International sports events like The Olympics or Football World Cup, are a good way to bring countries unity, and others say that these event would turn to competition and rivalry with other countries. This essay will discuss both sides and will provide my own opinion.

On the one hand, worldwide sports programs are a good way to bring countries together because it gives opportunity to individual to bring the pride of each country they are representing. In this event, a player representing his/her country is given a chance on such international events like The Olympics or Football World Cup. It brings pride on each country representing especially if they get the gold medal. In this event, it gives a chance to meet different countries with the same talent. For example, a player will be given a chance to show her/his talent on sports in other country and able to meet different nationalities.

On the other hand, people believes that it can create bad competition, not friendship to the countries because of rivalry and creating tension with each member representing country. Others take it seriously as a competition and not just a sports. For instance,

Every representative wants to bring home the gold medal, in this mindset, it allows members to make tension on each country leading to misunderstanding.

In conclusion, International sports events provides good way to bring countries together by bringing their own representatives and showing their own talents with sports, however it is also believe that can cause tension and rivalry in countries due to strong competition and lead to misunderstanding.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You address both views and give a position that international sports can unite countries while also creating rivalry. However, the discussion is only minimally developed: the unity paragraph mainly repeats that athletes represent their countries, feel pride, and meet people, while the opposing view is supported by a brief example about wanting a gold medal. Your own opinion is present but not clearly distinguished or explained beyond the conclusion. The response also contains 249 words, one word below the required minimum; the 18 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. To strengthen the response, explain how shared experiences can build understanding and give a specific example of competition causing tension, then state your view more directly and support it with reasons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. The signposts “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help readers identify the stages of the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is limited, and several points repeat rather than develop—for example, the first body paragraph repeatedly refers to representing a country, pride, and meeting different nationalities. Some links are awkward or unclear, such as “In this mindset, it allows members to make tension.” The example beginning “For instance” is also separated by a line break and does not connect smoothly to the preceding claim. Develop each paragraph around a clear main point and use references and linking phrases more precisely.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “international sports events,” “representing,” “gold medal,” “rivalry,” and “misunderstanding.” This gives the response a relevant vocabulary base. However, the range is limited and several phrases are repeated, particularly “bring countries together,” “representing,” and “tension.” Some word combinations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “bring countries unity,” “brings pride on each country,” and “make tension,” which can make the intended meaning less clear. Aim for more precise collocations and vary repeated terms—for example, describe events as fostering international understanding or intensifying national rivalry. Also check capitalisation of common nouns such as “international” and “sports.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a reason clause with “because” and a contrast introduced by “however.” The overall meaning is generally understandable, but errors are frequent and the range of structures is limited. Examples include “these event would turn” (plural agreement), “it gives opportunity to individual” (article and number), and “people believes” (subject–verb agreement). In the conclusion, “International sports events provides” also has an agreement error, while “it is also believe that can cause” is incomplete and grammatically unclear. Punctuation is sometimes awkward, particularly the comma splice in “Every representative wants to bring home the gold medal, in this mindset…”. Practise accurate agreement, articles, and complete clause structures before adding more complex sentences.

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