Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-02

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)

People have different views about wether, global sports events such as Olympics and Football World Cup are source of international harmony, or these events create rivalry rather than friendship among nations. While both perspective have their own merits. I believe that worldwide sports events are a vital way to bring countries togather, because of cultral exchange and real time human interactions.

On the one hand some people believe that, world wide sports events brings nation togather, the main reason for this is that these events provide cultral exchange to the participants, for example last FIFA World Cup was held in Qatar, participants and spectators were travelled from all the world to attend this event as a result the whole world is introduced how a muslim country can host such a big events while conserving its Islamic culture. Furthermore this activity provide real time human interactions among different nations, so they know about the real hardships and geniune issues about a country.

On the other hand other believe that , global sports events promote cometition amomg nation and this may lead to permanent rivalry among nations. For instance Pakistan and India are traditional rivals in sports such as in Cricket and hockey and internationl tournaments would strenghthen this rivalry in between these two nations.

To sumup all the discussion that has been stated so far, some people supports international events as source of competition among nations. I believe that, global sports events have pivotal role in internationl harmony in our world.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both views and state a clear opinion: international events can bring countries together through cultural exchange and direct interaction. The Qatar World Cup example supports this view, while the Pakistan–India example illustrates how sporting rivalry may be reinforced. These points are relevant, but they are not developed equally. The discussion of rivalry is brief and does not explain how competition might damage relations beyond the example, while the positive side receives more explanation. The conclusion also says that some people support these events “as source of competition,” which does not accurately summarise the opposing view and makes your final position less precise. Explain both perspectives more fully and make the conclusion reflect your argument consistently.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. Signposting such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “To sum up” helps readers follow the discussion. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “While both perspective have their own merits” is a fragment, and the conclusion’s reference to competition conflicts with the preceding argument, weakening the overall progression. Several sentences also combine multiple ideas without clear punctuation, particularly in the Qatar example. Use linking expressions more selectively, ensure each paragraph develops one clear line of reasoning, and check that the conclusion accurately refers back to the points made.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “international harmony,” “cultural exchange,” “participants and spectators,” and “rivalry.” These choices show an effort to discuss the issue beyond basic terms. However, spelling errors and inaccurate word forms are noticeable, including “wether,” “togather,” “cultral,” “cometition,” and “strenghthen.” Some collocations are also awkward, such as “source of international harmony” and “permanent rivalry,” while “real time human interactions” is not a natural expression in this context. These slips do not prevent the main ideas from being understood, but they reduce precision. Build accuracy by checking spelling and learning common word partnerships, especially for describing international relations and sporting events.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a reason clause with “because” and a result structure with “as a result.” The main ideas are generally understandable, but errors in sentence formation and agreement recur. “While both perspective have their own merits” is an incomplete sentence, and “world wide sports events brings nation togather” has subject–verb and number agreement problems. Articles and sentence boundaries also need attention: “such a big events” is incorrect, and the long Qatar example needs clearer punctuation or division into shorter sentences. The conclusion’s opening clause is also grammatically awkward. Practise checking each sentence for a complete subject and verb, correct agreement, and appropriate articles; this will make your varied structures more controlled.

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.