Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-30

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)

International sports events allow multiple countries across the globe to participate. This platform gives them an opportunity to showcase their talents in a particular sport. In this way, a country will not be just known for tourism but also for how well they play. Sports events such as The Olympics and FIFA has participants from multiple countries competing for the trophy. This does create a rift between countries but this spirit helps them in getting a trophy home.

Every four years for The Olympics and The FIFA, a host country is chosen. After that, people start booking their flight tickets, managing accomodation, booking tickettouriss to attend the sport, and spend some time exploring the country, after. This brings in more tourists and this gives a considerable boost to the economy. A recent example to support the argument is from FIFA 2026. A team that played for the first time, Cabo Verde. Not a lot of people knew about this little country. But the players put Cabo on the map by playing so well and bringing in so many tourists after the world cup. There have been reports of a spike in their tourism.

On the other hand, the rivalry between the countries increases. The fans supporting their countries despise the others. A feeling of enemity is created. Again taking the example of FIFA 2026, a fierce booing and campaigning against the other teams was quite evident. While that being said, any sport needs some motivation, a factor that pushes a team to do better. That is the reason why, I think, there is competition between countries but it is healthy.

In conclusion, international sports is an excellent platform to see countries competing against each other. If there is no competition in sports, then it is not a sport. Every country plays to win and at the end of the sport, they greet each other and leave amicably. Hence, I believe that they are a good way to bring countries together under one roof.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both views and give a clear overall opinion: competition exists, but you consider it healthy and believe events bring countries together. The discussion is relevant, and the examples of tourism and fan rivalry help illustrate the two sides. However, the development is uneven. The tourism paragraph focuses mainly on economic benefits and a country gaining recognition, rather than explaining how these outcomes build friendship between nations. The claim about hostility among fans is also asserted more than explained, and the FIFA 2026 example is not clearly connected to the broader effect on relations between countries. To strengthen the response, explain each view’s impact on international relationships and support your conclusion with a more direct comparison of the arguments. The response meets the stated length requirement; eight words copied from the prompt were excluded from the count.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs presenting benefits and rivalry, and a conclusion that restates your position. This makes the main line of argument reasonably easy to follow. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes loose. For example, the second paragraph moves from hosting arrangements to tourism, then to Cabo Verde’s recognition, without clearly linking these points to friendship between countries. Some transitions are mechanical or awkward, including “On the other hand” and “Again taking the example,” while “after” at the end of the hosting sentence interrupts the flow. Improve cohesion by making each paragraph’s central point explicit, using references that clearly connect examples to that point, and removing transitions or details that do not advance the argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “showcase their talents,” “rivalry,” “motivation,” and “amicably,” which helps communicate the subject and your position. However, the range is not consistently precise, and several word choices or collocations sound unnatural or are repeated. “A rift” and “a feeling of enemity” convey hostility, but the latter is misspelled and the phrasing is awkward; “booking tickettouriss” is also unclear. Expressions such as “bring in more tourists” and “put Cabo on the map” are understandable but informal for this essay. Aim for accurate spelling and more formal, precise phrasing, especially when describing economic effects and international relations. Vary repeated words such as “country” and “sport” where possible.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, and the overall meaning is generally understandable. There are, however, recurring problems with agreement, articles, tense, and sentence construction. For example, “The Olympics and FIFA has participants” should use a plural verb, while “international sports is” also has a subject–verb agreement problem. “Every four years for The Olympics and The FIFA, a host country is chosen” is an awkwardly formed sentence, and “people start booking … and spend” shifts verb form within the list. The sentence fragment beginning “A team that played for the first time, Cabo Verde” also needs to be joined to a complete clause. Review agreement and parallel verb forms, and check that each sentence has a clear subject and complete main clause.

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