Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-14

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)

There are considerable dissimilitude in the views of people over weather, international sports or events create competition between countries or a good way to bring countries together. I think such events only create competition not friendship.

On one hand, organizing international events could be the best option of making the friendship of two countries. To explain it, if two countries are playing against each other, they can become the good friends after doing two or more matches. They might know each other team's strengths and weakness after playing with them. For instance, if there is an international sport competition between India and Canada. No matter which team would win but the competition can bring both countries on the same platform, which eventually bring both countries together.

On the other hand, it is inevitable to say that international sports usually organise to create competition between two countries. Every country wants to represent their team is best. In order to win the competition memebers of the team have to undergo through alot of training and practice, which ultimately creates the attitude among them to win the competition. Therefore, in such situations if two different counties have any sport ,they want to win the competition at any cost and the friendship would take backseat in such cases.

In conclusion, although international sports can bring countries together by organizing the sports on the same platform, but the point of having a friendship between two countries because of such events can not be justifiable.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You discuss both views and state a clear opinion in the introduction: “I think such events only create competition not friendship.” The two body paragraphs also give relevant reasons, including teams learning about one another and the pressure to win. However, the discussion is only partially developed. The friendship argument relies on the general claim that teams may become friends after playing matches, while the competition paragraph mainly describes training and wanting to win; neither explains in depth how these outcomes affect relations between countries. Your conclusion also weakens your position by saying friendship “can not be justifiable,” which is unclear and does not directly restate your view. The response is one word below the required minimum, so ensure future answers meet the stated length.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion. The signposts “On one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” make the discussion easy to follow, and the ideas generally progress within each paragraph. Cohesion is sometimes mechanical, however, and some links are unclear. For example, “To explain it” and “Therefore, in such situations” do not precisely show how the following point develops the previous one. The example about India and Canada is relevant but its connection to the claim that countries become friends could be made more explicit. The conclusion’s “although … but” construction also makes the relationship between the two ideas awkward. Use clearer referencing and vary linking methods while showing the logic between claims.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “international sports,” “competition,” “represent their team,” and “training and practice,” so the main ideas are understandable. However, the range is limited and several noticeable word-choice, collocation, word-form, and spelling errors make parts of the response awkward. “Dissimilitude” is not a natural choice here, and “making the friendship of two countries” does not express the intended idea idiomatically. Other examples include “members” misspelled as “memebers,” “counties” for “countries,” and “a lot” written as “alot.” Aim for accurate, natural collocations and check spelling carefully. More precise terms such as “foster goodwill” or “national rivalry” would help express the contrast more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including conditional and subordinate structures such as “if two countries are playing against each other” and “although international sports can bring countries together.” However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to read. For example, “There are considerable dissimilitude” has an agreement problem, while “they can become the good friends” and “which eventually bring both countries together” show problems with articles and verb agreement. The sentence beginning “Every country wants to represent their team is best” is also structurally unclear. Practise building accurate clauses, checking subject–verb agreement and articles, and punctuating sentences consistently; this will make your ideas easier to follow.

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