Cambridge 19 Writing Task 2 Test 1 - Sample Answers (Band 9 to 4-5)

There is ongoing debate about whether competition, in workplaces, schools, and daily life, is generally beneficial, or whether societies would be better served by prioritising cooperation instead; I will discuss both views before giving my own opinion.

Those who favour competition argue that it drives individuals to perform at their best, since the prospect of being outperformed by a rival motivates greater effort, innovation, and productivity than would otherwise occur. In business, competition between companies has historically driven down prices and spurred technological innovation, as firms strive to outdo one another to attract customers, a dynamic that arguably benefits consumers and society more broadly.

On the other hand, those who favour cooperation argue that excessive competition can be psychologically damaging, fostering anxiety, unhealthy comparison, and a reluctance to share knowledge or help others for fear of losing one's advantage. Cooperative environments, by contrast, tend to produce better outcomes for complex problems requiring diverse expertise, since genuine collaboration allows people to combine their different strengths rather than working in isolation or actively withholding useful information from perceived rivals.

In my opinion, both approaches have their place depending on context. In situations involving individual performance, such as sport or certain sales roles, healthy competition can indeed be motivating and productive. However, for complex collaborative tasks, such as scientific research or team-based projects, I believe cooperation generally produces superior outcomes, since it allows the free exchange of ideas that competition tends to actively discourage.

In conclusion, while competition can genuinely motivate individual achievement in certain contexts, I believe cooperation is generally more valuable for complex, collaborative endeavours, and a healthy balance between the two approaches, rather than an exclusive commitment to either, best serves both individuals and society.

There is debate about whether competition at work, school, and in daily life is generally a good thing, or whether cooperation is better. I will discuss both views before giving my opinion.

Those who support competition argue that it motivates people to try their best, since the possibility of being outperformed by others encourages greater effort and creativity. In business, competition between companies has often led to lower prices and better products, since companies try to outdo each other to attract customers.

On the other hand, those who support cooperation argue that too much competition can be harmful, causing stress and unhealthy comparison between people, and making people less willing to share knowledge or help each other. Cooperation, however, often produces better results for complex problems, since people can combine their different skills instead of working alone or hiding useful information from rivals.

In my opinion, both approaches can be useful depending on the situation. For individual activities, such as sports, competition can be motivating. However, for complex team tasks, such as scientific research, I believe cooperation usually produces better results, since it allows people to share ideas more freely.

In conclusion, while competition can motivate individual achievement in some situations, I believe cooperation is generally more valuable for complex, collaborative tasks, and a balance between the two is probably best overall. Schools in particular could benefit from teaching both skills deliberately, since students will likely need to compete for opportunities at times while also collaborating effectively within teams throughout their working lives.

Some people think competition at work, school, and in life is a good thing. Others think we should cooperate more instead. I will discuss both views.

People who agree with the first view say that competition motivates people to work harder, because they do not want to be beaten by others. In business, competition between companies can lead to lower prices and better products for customers.

People who agree with the second view say that too much competition can be stressful and can stop people from helping each other. They say cooperation is better for solving difficult problems, because people can share their different skills instead of competing.

In my opinion, I think both are useful in different situations. For individual activities like sports, competition can be good. But for team projects, I think cooperation usually works better.

In conclusion, both views have good points, but I think a mix of competition and cooperation is probably the best approach, depending on the situation. For example, in a workplace, employees might compete for a promotion, which can push them to perform better, but they also need to cooperate with their colleagues on daily tasks in order for the whole team to succeed. Schools could also teach both skills together, so that students learn how to work well with others while still understanding that some level of competition, when handled in a healthy way, can help them improve and reach their personal goals over time. This balance also prepares people for real workplaces where both skills are needed daily.

Some people think competition at work, school, and in life is a good thing. Others think we should cooperate more instead. I will discuss both view.

People who agree with the first view say that competition motivate people to work harder, because they do not want to be beat by others. In business, competition between company can lead to lower price and better product for customer.

People who agree with the second view say that too much competition can be stressful and can stop people from helping each other. They say cooperation is better for solving difficult problem, because people can share their different skill instead of competing.

In my opinion, I think both is useful in different situation. For individual activity like sport, competition can be good. But for team project, I think cooperation usually work better.

In conclusion, both view have good point, but I think a mix of competition and cooperation is probably the best approach, depend on the situation. For example, in a workplace, employee might compete for a promotion, which can push them to perform better, but they also need to cooperate with their colleague on daily task in order for the whole team to succeed. School could also teach both skill together, so that student learn how to work well with others while still understanding that some level of competition, when handle in a healthy way, can help them improve and reach their personal goal over time. This balance also prepare people for real workplace where both skill is needed daily.