Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-12

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)

Friendship is a beautiful bond between people where you get a choice to choose who you want to be friend with. Many people are of view that sports competitions are a good option for bringing together people from different nationalities whereas some contradict this opinion by saying that it create competition rather than friendship among different countries. I believe that sports events, such as Football World Cup are a good way to bring countries together.

During these gigantic competitions a lot of folks from different nationalities take part and get a chance to explore the different parts of the world and meet the common people. They tend to learn a lot about their heritage, Culture and rules and regulations in that country during their stay. Competition is an integral part of the sports, Which could not be removed out of sports. The Competitors and the audience respects an opponent who gives a good fight in the sports competition. This kind of mutual respect create a friendly bond among each other.

There has been many efforts to organise friendly matches among the nations that has bitter relationships. These kind of events have been successful in past to help maintain peace among different countries, For example, A friendly cricket series was organised between India and pakistan after the war among both nations came to end. The efforts to bring both the nations together by organising a cricket series paid off and both the countries maintained peace after that for a long time. To conclude i would say that sports competions have always been a good option to form friendly relationships with arc rivals.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear opinion that international sports events can bring countries together, and you support it with relevant points about cultural exchange, mutual respect and the India–Pakistan cricket series. However, the discussion is weighted strongly toward the positive view: the opposing claim that events create competition is mentioned in the introduction, but not developed as a separate argument. The point that competition is integral to sport is acknowledged, yet you quickly turn it into evidence of respect rather than explaining how rivalry might damage relations. The example is relevant, though its connection to lasting peace is asserted rather than fully explained. Develop both views more evenly and clarify how your example supports your position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, supporting paragraphs and a conclusion, and the ideas are generally understandable. However, progression between the two main views is not clear: the second paragraph combines cultural exchange with the claim that competition creates respect, while the next paragraph shifts to friendly matches without explicitly linking this example to the earlier discussion. Some linking phrases, such as “whereas” and “For example,” help, but connections are sometimes mechanical or unclear. The conclusion repeats the position rather than drawing together the discussion. Give each view a clearer paragraph focus, use transitions to show contrast and cause, and make references such as “these kind of events” precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “nationalities,” “heritage,” “mutual respect,” and “bitter relationships,” which helps communicate the subject. There are also attempts at less common or emphatic wording, such as “gigantic competitions” and “arc rivals,” but some choices are inaccurate or unnatural and reduce precision. Repetition of “countries,” “nations” and “friendly” also limits flexibility. Spelling and capitalisation are inconsistent, including “competions,” “pakistan” and “Culture.” Aim for natural collocations and accurate forms: for example, “major international competitions” is more suitable than “gigantic competitions,” and “arch-rivals” is the correct form. More precise vocabulary would make the argument clearer and more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a relative clause in “a friendly bond between people where you get a choice” and a subordinate clause beginning “after the war.” However, the range is limited and errors recur in sentence construction, agreement, articles and punctuation. Examples include “it create competition,” “The Competitors and the audience respects,” and “There has been many efforts”; these should use matching subject–verb forms. “A choice to choose” is also structurally awkward, and several sentences join ideas with commas or inconsistent capitalisation. These errors do not prevent the overall meaning from being understood, but they make the writing less controlled. Practise accurate agreement and article use, and check sentence boundaries and punctuation during revision.

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