Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-23

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 6.0)

International sporting events like the Olympic game is perceived as a good way of reinforcing relationships among nations by some people while others believe these events only raises the spirit of competition and rivalry among nations. This essay will discuss both views and as well explain why I am of the opinion that fair match should be ensured at all time.

On the one hand, the people that believe that football strengthens relationship between countries do so because, firstly, it promotes the economy of the country. During this event people travel from across the world to the hosting nation to provide support to the players and the club, thereby promoting tourism and generating more revenue to the government. Secondly, When people from around the world gather under one place, they interact, make friends and learn each other's culture and way of life better. For example, during the FIFA world cup, a lot of nationals are heavily represented, and these persons contribute to the hosting nations economy when they pay for accommodation or their feeding.

On the other hand, the people who are against the motion do so because they believe corruption has entered the football event. These days some nations are seen feeling cheated after being defeated by their opponent nation. They claim the referee may have aided the wining team to bring the already concluded results to play. Again, these games have been seen in recent days creating quarrel between players from different teams and nations. These misunderstanding among these players also transcends to their supporters thereby causing hatred and bitterness amongst them.

In as much as football as a game has numerous benefits to the people and the nation, I believe the claims of the antagonist should also be looked into to ensure that the positive effect of these event is actualized.

In conclusion, as much as rivalry, hatred persist in the football industry, its numerous economic and cultural benefits cannot be overlooked. I believe that addressing the corruption in the industry and ensuring a fair game will restore the trust of the people in the game.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both views and give a position: the essay explains how sporting events can support tourism and cultural exchange, then discusses perceived corruption and rivalry, before concluding that fairness is important. These points are relevant to the question. However, the discussion is uneven. The benefits are explained with concrete details about visitors, accommodation and cultural interaction, while the opposing view relies mainly on claims of biased refereeing and quarrels, with little explanation of how competition itself may prevent countries from becoming closer. Your opinion also focuses on ensuring fair matches rather than clearly weighing whether these events generally unite countries or create division. Develop that judgement and support both sides with more balanced, specific reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, two contrasting body paragraphs, a statement of opinion and a conclusion. Signposts such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” make the progression easy to follow. This secure organisation meets the lower-band expectations, and the paragraphing is appropriate. To make the flow more flexible and precise, reduce reliance on formulaic transitions and clarify links between ideas. For example, the paragraph about opposition moves from alleged referee bias to conflict among players and supporters; a sentence explaining how these examples demonstrate competition undermining friendship would strengthen the progression. References such as “these persons” and “these event” are also not always clear, so name the people or events directly.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for the topic, including “reinforcing relationships,” “generating more revenue,” “cultural benefits,” and “corruption.” These expressions help communicate the main ideas, and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts at more formal vocabulary, such as “actualized” and “transcends,” but some choices are inaccurate or unnatural in context: “the antagonist” does not mean people who oppose the view, and “bring the already concluded results to play” is unclear. Repetition of “football,” “nations,” and “people” also limits flexibility. Aim for more precise collocations and vary key terms—for example, use “international sporting events,” “host country,” and “supporters” where appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “because,” “when,” and “thereby,” and most of the argument remains understandable. However, some errors in agreement, articles, plurals and sentence construction reduce accuracy. For example, “events … only raises” should have a plural verb, while “the Olympic game is perceived” has a mismatch between the plural idea and singular noun. Other examples include “under one place” and “these event.” The long sentence beginning “These days some nations…” is also difficult to control, particularly around the claim about referees and results. Check subject–verb agreement and noun number, and divide complex sentences when their relationships are unclear.

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