Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-19

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)

Many people think that international sports event are an ideal way to bring countries together. On the other hand, some people believe that these games create unnecessary competition between countries. My opinion is sports events like Olympcs or Football World Cup bring countries together.

Sports events bring countries together. The reason is not all countries have teams for all kinds of sports. So, people tend to take someone or their favourite team that they admire and cheer on them. Eventhough without having a national team that representing their countries, they support for another country. Therefore, this brings countries together. As an example, there is no national football team in Sri Lanka. However, Football World Cup is a huge thing which people get-together and watch, cheer and enjoy online. Same goes with the Olympics. Though there is no national players from their own country, they watch it and enjoy.

Moreover, some say these events could bring competition, not friendship between countries. I strongly believe that these situations can happen with who does not have the morality to understand that this is a game. Therefore, they try to humiliate these countries online. However, only minor percetage of the population is acting like this. As another example, we can take cricket. India and Pakistan have war going on, but they enjoy one international game. Even just for few hours they cheer for another country. It is surprising to see their affection for each teams when they are not playing against them. People cheer for different players as well.

In conclusion, according to above explanations, I strongly believe that the international sports events bring countries all together.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both views and state a consistent opinion that international sports events bring countries together. The examples of Sri Lankan viewers supporting the World Cup and Indian and Pakistani fans enjoying cricket are relevant and help explain your position. However, the opposing view is treated mainly as the behaviour of people who lack “morality,” rather than explaining more fully how national rivalry, hostile media coverage, or fan behaviour can create tension. Some points are also unclear or under-developed, such as how supporting another country’s team brings countries together. Develop each side with a clearer explanation and a specific example, then connect the evidence directly to your conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. The reader can follow the main line of argument, and signposts such as “On the other hand,” “Moreover,” and “In conclusion” help indicate the stages. However, some linking is mechanical, with repeated “Therefore” and “As an example,” and a few references are unclear. For instance, “these situations” does not precisely identify the competition or hostility being discussed, while “they” in “they try to humiliate these countries” has an uncertain reference. Use more varied, precise links and make the relationship between each example and its point explicit to improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate your main ideas, including “international sports events,” “competition,” “humiliate,” and “affection.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations sound unnatural, which sometimes makes the meaning less precise. Examples include “take someone or their favourite team,” “cheer on them,” “support for another country,” and “minor percetage.” Spelling errors such as “Olympcs” and “percetage” also reduce accuracy. Aim to learn common collocations for describing spectators, rivalry, and national identity, and check spelling carefully. More precise phrasing would make the argument clearer without requiring unnecessarily advanced vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “Though” and “Even though,” and the overall meaning is generally understandable. However, errors in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence construction occur across the response. For example, “international sports event are” needs plural agreement, “there is no national players” has an agreement error, and “a game” is needed in “this is a game” only if referring to one contest. The sentence “Even just for few hours they cheer” also needs an article and clearer structure. Practise checking subject–verb agreement and article use, and revise complex sentences to ensure each clause is complete and grammatically connected.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.