Cambridge IELTS 19 Test 1 Writing Task 2: Competition or Teamwork
Cambridge IELTS 19 · Test 1 · Academic Writing Task 2Discuss both viewsSociety
The question presents two views: that competition at work, at school and in daily life is a good thing, and that people should cooperate more instead of competing with each other. Candidates must discuss both views and give their own opinion.
The question
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. 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.
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How to read the question
- This is a discussion essay: you must explain why some people value competition, explain why others prefer cooperation, and give your own opinion clearly, ideally in the introduction and again in the conclusion.
- The question names three contexts, work, school and daily life. You do not need a separate paragraph for each, but your examples should cover more than one of them so the answer addresses the full scope.
- The second view says cooperate more, rather than competing. This is a matter of balance, so a position such as cooperation should be the default, with competition kept for specific situations, is fully relevant.
- Give reasons for each view, not just a description of it: why competition motivates people and raises standards, and why cooperation produces better results and well-being.
- Avoid drifting into a narrower topic such as sport only or business competition between companies only, which ignores the personal and educational contexts in the question.
- Your own opinion can agree with one side or take a balanced position, but it must be clear and consistent from introduction to conclusion.
Suggested position
Although competition can motivate individuals and raise standards, I believe that societies benefit more when people are encouraged to cooperate, with competition kept for situations where it genuinely drives improvement.
Paragraph plan
- 1
Introduction
Paraphrase both views about competing and cooperating at work, at school and in everyday life, then state your opinion: cooperation should generally be prioritised, but healthy competition has a useful role.
- 2
Body paragraph 1: why competition is seen as positive
Explain that competition motivates people to work harder and improve, for example students aiming for top grades or sales staff chasing targets, and that it rewards merit and drives innovation between businesses.
- 3
Body paragraph 2: why cooperation is better
Explain that most modern problems, from scientific research to running a hospital, are too complex for individuals, so teamwork produces better results. Add that constant competition causes stress, anxiety and reluctance to share knowledge, using school league tables or ranking employees as examples.
- 4
Conclusion
Summarise both views and restate your opinion: cooperation should be the norm at work, at school and in daily life, while competition is most useful in limited, fair settings.
Ideas and arguments
- Competition motivates people to try harder, as when students compete for scholarships or athletes push each other to improve their times.
- Competition rewards merit, giving recognition and promotion to those who perform best, which many people see as fair.
- Competition between companies leads to lower prices, better products and innovation that benefit consumers.
- Cooperation allows people to combine skills: major achievements such as vaccine development or space exploration depend on large teams, often across countries.
- Constant comparison and ranking can damage mental health, causing stress and anxiety in pupils and burnout in employees.
- In a highly competitive workplace, colleagues may hide information or undermine each other, which harms the organisation as a whole.
- Group projects at school teach communication, negotiation and empathy, which are essential skills in most jobs.
- In daily life, cooperation within communities, such as neighbours helping each other or sharing resources, builds trust and social cohesion.
Band 8+ model answer
289 words · An original model answer written for ieltswrites, not an official answer. It stays in English, as in the exam.
Some people believe that competing with others, whether at work, at school or in everyday life, brings out the best in us, while others argue that we would achieve more by working together. Although competition has clear benefits, I believe that cooperation should generally be given greater priority.
Those who favour competition argue that it motivates people to improve. Students who know they are being compared with their classmates often study harder, and employees chasing sales targets or promotion tend to raise their own standards. Supporters also claim that competition is fair because it rewards merit, giving recognition to those who perform best. At a wider level, rivalry between businesses drives innovation and keeps prices down, which benefits consumers.
However, I find the case for cooperation more convincing. Most of the challenges that societies face today are far too complex for any individual to solve alone. Medical breakthroughs, for instance, depend on scientists pooling their expertise, and a hospital only functions well when doctors, nurses and technicians support one another. Furthermore, when life is treated as a zero-sum game, the costs can be high. Pupils ranked constantly against their peers often suffer from stress and anxiety, and workers in fiercely competitive offices may hide useful information or undermine colleagues, which ultimately harms the whole organisation. By contrast, group projects at school and team-based workplaces foster communication skills and trust that people need throughout their lives.
In conclusion, while competition can spur individuals to greater effort, I believe that people achieve more, and live more contentedly, when cooperation is the norm. Competition is most valuable when it is kept within fair, limited settings, such as sport or the marketplace, rather than becoming the guiding principle of every part of life.
Why this answer scores highly
- Task Response
- Both views are explained with reasons and specific examples from work, school and daily life, and a clear opinion in favour of cooperation, with a defined role for competition, is stated in the introduction and repeated in the conclusion.
- Coherence and Cohesion
- One body paragraph is given to each view, each with a clear topic sentence, and ideas are linked with devices such as admittedly, however and as a result, as well as reference words like this and such rivalry.
- Lexical Resource
- Topic-specific vocabulary such as reward merit, zero-sum game, pool their expertise, burnout and social cohesion is used precisely, and the key words of the question are paraphrased throughout.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
- The essay uses a range of complex structures, including conditional sentences, concessive clauses, relative clauses and passive forms, with accurate punctuation and no noticeable errors.
Useful vocabulary
- healthy competition
- competition that motivates people without causing harm or hostility
- a competitive streak
- a natural desire to win or be better than others
- raise standards
- make the level of quality or performance higher
- reward merit
- give success to people because of their ability and effort
- collaborate
- work together with others to achieve something
- pool resources
- combine money, skills or knowledge from different people
- a zero-sum game
- a situation in which one person's gain is another person's loss
- burnout
- extreme tiredness caused by working too hard for too long
- undermine
- make someone or something weaker, often secretly
- social cohesion
- the bonds and trust that hold a community together
- team spirit
- a feeling of loyalty and willingness to work together in a group
- foster
- encourage something to develop
- league table
- a list that ranks schools, people or organisations by performance
Common mistakes
- Discussing only one view and ignoring the other, or giving your opinion without explaining both views first.
- Forgetting to give your own opinion, which is a required part of a discuss both views and give your opinion question.
- Writing only about sport, which ignores the work, school and daily life contexts in the question.
- Presenting the issue as all or nothing, when the second view only says we should cooperate more, not that competition should disappear.
- Using vague claims such as competition is good for everyone without specific examples like exam rankings, sales targets or team projects.
- Repeating the words competition and cooperation constantly instead of using alternatives such as rivalry, teamwork, collaboration and working together.
Frequently asked questions
- Which Cambridge book is this question from?
- This question about competition versus cooperation at work, at school and in daily life is Writing Task 2 of Test 1 in Cambridge IELTS 19 Academic, published in 2023.
- Where should I give my opinion in this discussion essay?
- State it briefly in the introduction and restate it in the conclusion. You can also make it clear in the body, for example by explaining why you find one view more convincing.
- Do I need to write about work, school and daily life separately?
- No. You can organise the essay by view, but your examples should come from more than one of these contexts so that you address the whole question.
- How many words should I write for this Task 2?
- Write at least 250 words; about 270-310 words is usually enough to discuss both views and give your opinion in 40 minutes.
Free and timed, with a live word count, just like the computer-delivered test. Then get an instant AI band score.
The exam simulator runs on a computer. Open this page on a laptop or desktop to practise.