Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-22

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)

Nowadays, a large number of people are interested in watching the Olympics and the Football World Cup. Some individuals think that these types of international sports events are an easy way to connect different nations together. However, others believe that no friendships are created by these events, instead it promotes competitions between countries. Both groups of people have their own perspective to see the situation. In this essay I will describe both the views and give my opinion at the end of the essay.

In the one hand, people say that sports events bring countries together because these types of games plays at different locations around the world, which promotes the tourism of people from different parts. In simple words, audiences specially travel to different venues to watch games, which enhances the connections of the people and country. Moreover, people also visit some fascinating places when they come to watch match at different place, where they can engage with the local people. For example, the Olympics is one the most famous international game which promoted friendships of people from different country.

In the other hand, others believe it create competitions because many nations are take sports game very seriously and which affects an international bond of nations in many ways such as trade deals, tax and imports- exports. For instance, many nation stop exporting goods if they loss the game against the other country. Furthermore, some people not able to digest the lose of their team at an international level which might start doing illegal activities against the other nations.

I believe both the type of people have their own reasons for belief in their viewpoints. In my opinion I believe playing an international games promotes friendships and bring different countries together by promoting tourism and meeting local people from different nations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both views and state your own preference, particularly in the final paragraph, where you support the idea that international games promote friendship through tourism and contact with local people. The first body paragraph also gives relevant reasons for this view. However, the discussion is uneven: the claim that losing a game can affect trade, taxes and imports or lead to illegal acts is asserted rather than explained or supported with a convincing example. Your opinion is also clearer at the end than throughout the essay. To strengthen the response, explain how sporting rivalry can damage relations, use a specific example, and make your position clear in the introduction as well as the conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a concluding opinion. This makes the main line of discussion easy to follow. You also use signposting such as “Moreover,” “For example,” and “Furthermore” to connect points. However, some links are mechanical or inaccurate: “In the one hand” and “In the other hand” do not correctly introduce contrasting sides, and the opening repeats that the essay will discuss both views before doing so. Some references are unclear, as in “which affects an international bond,” where the relationship between competition and the bond is not fully explained. Use more natural transitions and make each paragraph’s reasoning progress clearly from claim to explanation and example.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “international sports events,” “audiences,” “venues,” “tourism,” and “trade deals,” so the reader can understand the subject and your main points. There are also attempts at more specific phrasing, such as “digest the lose of their team,” although this expression is not used naturally. Several word-choice and collocation errors make parts of the argument less precise: “connect different nations together,” “promoted friendships,” and “stop exporting goods if they loss the game” would benefit from more accurate phrasing. Some vocabulary is also repetitive, especially “people,” “countries,” and “different.” Build a wider set of natural collocations for describing international relations and sporting rivalry, and check word forms and spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “because,” “which,” and “if,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, control is inconsistent, particularly in longer sentences. Examples include “these types of games plays,” “many nations are take,” and “some people not able,” where subject–verb agreement or verb construction is faulty. Articles and plurals also need attention, as in “one the most famous international game” and “an international games.” The sentence beginning “In the other hand” also contains a difficult structure that obscures the relationship between ideas. Practise building accurate sentences with one main clause and a clearly formed subordinate clause, then check agreement, articles, and verb forms.

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