Hustlers IELTS | Cambridge IELTS 19 Academic (Test 1) | Model Essay + Vocabulary to Reuse
If you struggle with Discuss Both Views essays, the problem is almost never “grammar”. The problem is structure.
This essay type rewards candidates who can do three things cleanly:
- explain View A
- explain View B
- give a clear opinion (with support)
No confusion. No wandering. No hidden position.
Below is a Band 7–9 model answer to one of the most common Cambridge topics: competition vs cooperation.
The Task (Cambridge IELTS 19 Academic, Test 1)
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.
The Hustlers IELTS Structure (Copy This)
- Introduction: paraphrase + state what you will do
- Body 1: competition (why people support it + example)
- Body 2: cooperation (why people support it + example)
- Body 3: your opinion (clear stance + reasoning + a controlled caveat)
- Conclusion: summarise both sides + restate opinion
This is exactly how high scorers write.
Band 7–9 Model Essay
When people discuss how to achieve excellence, they often compare the merits of competition and cooperation. This essay will examine both views before presenting my own position.
One commonly-held view is that competition is the best way to excel because, by encouraging people to aim to be better than everyone else, outcomes will be improved. For example, competition in sales departments may lead to sales representatives being more effective, while in schools, pushing students to reach the top of the class in examinations may stimulate them to study harder.
However, an alternative view is that cooperation is preferable to competition because it leads to people sharing ideas and working together for the common good. An example of this in daily life might be local residents working together to improve their community, perhaps by clearing litter or volunteering to help people in need. In business, collaboration can often lead to innovation and more effective problem solving because of the different skills and perspectives held by the group.
I generally agree that in most contexts, cooperation leads to better outcomes and a greater sense of wellbeing. Moreover, competition can actually demotivate those who are not near the top. For instance, weaker or average students may resign themselves to mediocrity if they lose all hope of competing for the top places in a class, and the same applies to people in the workplace. So for many people, competition is not better, although it may be effective in certain situations, especially when outcomes can be quantified, such as with sales results. In addition, when people compete with themselves by making small, incremental improvements, this can be a powerful way to build skills and habits.
In conclusion, while some people feel that competition is better because it encourages people to succeed, others believe that because cooperation stimulates working together, it leads to better overall outcomes. I generally agree with this second view but with certain caveats.
Why This Essay Scores High
1) Both views are developed properly
Each view gets its own paragraph and its own examples — work, school, and daily life are all covered.
2) The opinion is clear and sophisticated
The writer agrees with cooperation in most contexts, but adds intelligent caveats:
- competition demotivates low performers
- competition can work when results are measurable
- self-competition is a healthy alternative
That’s mature evaluation — exactly what Band 8/9 Task Response looks like.
3) Vocabulary is natural and high-band
Not “big words”, but strong collocations.
Vocabulary List (High-Band Collocations to Reuse)
Remember: Band 7+ depends on lexical items (word groups), not single words.
- achieve excellence
- the merits of
- one commonly-held view
- the best way to excel
- by encouraging people to
- outcomes
- sales departments / sales representatives
- pushing students to reach the top of the class
- an alternative view
- preferable to
- sharing ideas
- working together
- the common good
- local residents
- clearing litter
- volunteering to help people in need
- innovation
- more effective problem solving
- perspectives held by
- in most contexts
- a greater sense of wellbeing
- demotivate
- near the top
- resign themselves to mediocrity
- outcomes can be quantified
- small, incremental improvements
- build skills and habits
- with certain caveats
Hustlers IELTS Final Word
If you want Band 7–9 in Discuss Both Views:
- write one paragraph per view
- use one clear example per view
- state your opinion clearly
- add one caveat to show depth
- finish with a tight conclusion