IELTS Writing Task 2: A Band 7.0 Essay (Competition vs Cooperation), Graded
A discuss-both-views essay on whether competition or cooperation matters more — graded band-by-band by Cuepen's AI examiner. A clear 'integrate both' stance and strong grammar, held to Band 7.0 by an under-length response and a thin competition side.
Question:
Some people think that competition at work, at school and in daily life is a good thing. Others believe that we should try to cooperate more, rather than competing against each other. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. Write at least 250 words.
Candidate's answer:
Since the old ages, both competition and cooperation have led to the advancement of human and animal races. Whilst some believe that cooperation is crucial for growth and safety, competition is equally important to drive innovation and scientific progress. Therefore, I strongly believe that the integration of both cooperation and competition in various aspects of our day-to-day lives is essential.
To begin with, cooperation enables individuals to achieve more than what one person can perform. A pertient example is evident across countries where trade and exchange of knowledge and ideas across all domains creates mutual benefit and leads to enhanced prosperity. Furthermore, cooperation prevents wars and enables us to take advantage of benefits of different geographies with varied topographies and climates. Extending this to the animal world, many animals and flies such as ants and bees work together to survive by locating and transporting food.
Conversely, competition fosters motivation and urge to succeed, pushing the boundaries of possibility, both in terms of competence and speed. This is seen in education where students tend to perform better while gaming. Moreover, competition creates a sense of confidence for winners and teaches invaluable lesson to others.
To summarize, cooperation while nurtures growth and exchange of information by creating a safe space, competition inudges individuals to push their boundaries and ensure thoroughness. It is essential for both governments and schools to create avenues to nurture them both.
Full Cuepen report:
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Candidate's Answer
Task Response feedback (4)
Conversely, competition fosters motivation and urge to succeed, pushing the boundaries of possibility, both in terms of competence and speed.
💡The competition paragraph opens strongly but stays abstract — 'pushing the boundaries of possibility' asserts a benefit without any concrete example, so this side is thinner than the cooperation side.
Conversely, competition fosters the urge to succeed: in business, for instance, rival firms racing to release better products drive rapid innovation that benefits everyone.
Conversely, competition fosters motivation and urge to succeed, pushing the boundaries of possibility, both in terms of competence and speed.
💡The competition paragraph is a full paragraph shorter than the cooperation one; one developed example (sport, business, or exams) would balance the two views and clear the word count.
Conversely, competition fosters the urge to succeed — rival firms racing to launch better products, for example, drive innovation that benefits everyone.
This is seen in education where students tend to perform better while gaming.
💡'perform better while gaming' is unclear — it never explains how competition raises performance, leaving the key classroom example undeveloped.
This is seen in classrooms, where ranked tests and quizzes push students to prepare harder and retain more.
Moreover, competition creates a sense of confidence for winners and teaches invaluable lesson to others.
💡The benefits ('confidence', 'invaluable lesson') are asserted but not illustrated, so the competition paragraph stays underdeveloped.
Moreover, competition builds confidence in winners and teaches those who lose the resilience to try again — a lesson sport and exams both instil.
The fastest route to Band 8
- Reach 250+ words — this essay lands at 233; the missing length is exactly the under-built competition paragraph.
- Develop the competition side with one concrete example (sport, business, or exams), just as the cooperation side uses trade and animals.
- Fix the two spelling slips ("pertient" → pertinent, "inudges" → nudges) and re-order the conclusion to "while cooperation nurtures growth…".
Frequently asked questions
What band is this competition-vs-cooperation essay?+
It scores an overall Band 7.0 — Coherence, Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range at Band 7, with Task Response at Band 6.
Why is Task Response only Band 6?+
The essay is under the 250-word minimum (233 words) and the competition side is developed far less than the cooperation side, with one example ("perform better while gaming") left unexplained.
How do I write a "discuss both views" essay?+
Give each view its own well-developed paragraph with a concrete example, signpost whose view it is, then state and justify your own opinion — and always write at least 250 words.
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