Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-01

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 argue that the international sports are the best way to connect countries but others believe that it creates a sense of jealousy instead of getting along with a country. In this essay i will discuss both point of views regarding such events.

In the first place, international sports events such as The Olympics or the Football World Cup bring the countries together by knowing the culture and the nature of different nationalities.Sports gives the chance to increase the trade of the country and boosts the economy. For instance, players show sportsmans ship to ignore small mistakes of the contestants that help them understand the upbringing and the reflection of the moral teachings that inspire others to interact with them. As a result, it will help to create a friendship among other nationality holders.

On the contrary, different people believes that such events just provoke the unnecessary competition as it creates the sense of jealousy and the arguments between contestants.For instance, football matches between countires with historical disagreements can sometimes create hostility among supporters rather than encouraging friendhips.

In my opinion, competitions should not be considered a negative things . As sport events teaches individual some important values like patience, discipline, respect and teamwork.

To sum up, although international sport competition sometimes create rivalry and tension.I reckon the advantages outweigh the drawbacks.Such events boost the economy cultural hormony and bring peace among the international countries as they develop mutual respect and stronger relationship between nations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both views and give a clear opinion: you explain that events can encourage cultural understanding and economic activity, while also acknowledging rivalry and hostility among supporters. The example of football matches between countries with historical disagreements is relevant. However, several points are asserted rather than explained—for example, the link between sportsmanship, learning about upbringing, and forming friendships is difficult to follow, and the economic benefit is not developed. Your opinion that the advantages outweigh the drawbacks is clear, but could be supported with a more specific reason. The response is 234 words, so it is 16 words below the 250-word minimum; this limits the space available to develop the discussion fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, your opinion, and a conclusion. Transitions such as “In the first place,” “On the contrary,” and “To sum up” help signal the stages of the argument. The overall progression is understandable, but some links between ideas are unclear. In the first body paragraph, the move from sportsmanship to “upbringing” and then to friendship needs clearer explanation. The conclusion also combines several claims in a compressed sentence. Improve cohesion by making each paragraph develop one central point and using pronouns and linking phrases with clear references; check punctuation around transitions so the flow is not interrupted.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “historical disagreements,” “hostility,” “mutual respect,” and “teamwork,” which helps communicate the main ideas. There are also attempts at less common expressions, but several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unclear, such as “the international sports,” “sportsmans ship,” and “cultural hormony.” “Friendships” is misspelled as “friendhips,” and “countires” as “countires” is also misspelled in the response. These errors sometimes make the intended meaning less precise. Aim for accurate, natural combinations such as “international sporting events,” “sportsmanship,” and “cultural harmony,” and proofread spelling. A broader range of precise terms for cooperation and rivalry would make the discussion more flexible.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a relative clause in “players show sportsmans ship … that help them understand” and a contrast structure beginning “although.” However, errors in agreement, articles, and sentence construction are noticeable and occasionally make relationships between ideas unclear. For example, “Sports gives” should use a plural verb, while “different people believes” also has a subject–verb agreement problem. The opening sentence has an unclear pronoun in “it creates,” and the final sentence needs clearer punctuation and sentence boundaries. Capitalisation of “i” and punctuation spacing also require attention. Practise checking each sentence for a clear subject and verb, and use complex clauses only when their connections are clear.

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