Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Write about the following topic:

In many countries, family members work together in their family business.

Do you think family businesses have more advantages than disadvantages?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Living in the sub-continent, I have seen many families having businesses established by their forefathers and run by the generations after them. Although it has many advantages like everyone in the family is closely familiar with the nature of the business and most of the family members are sincere with the business operations. But we can not ignore the drawbacks that it carries. Such business setting creates family rivalries and one struggles to unwind from the work stress even at home.

A major advantage is that the members of family-owned businesses are well aware of the nature and technicalities of the business. As the children grow up listening to the critical business discussions at their homes, they tend think critically around that spectrum. It acts like a free training for them on running the business operations. Moreover, because the family members are the direct stakeholders of the business, they are faithful to the operations. Such setting establishes trust among crucial departments. For instance, my maternal uncle runs a plastic goods business. Few years back, his warehouse caught fire and all the family members stood by his side and supported him immensely. They even gave up on the extra incentives just to take the business out of the crisis.

One significant disadvantage of having a family business is that it results in having family rivalries that go on for years. In many settings, the eldest sibling leads the crucial business decisions and operations. In such circumstances, the younger ones often feel disconnected and unimportant. These type of emotions could lead up to creating misunderstandings and the families certainly end up having rivalry. Another disadvantage is that the work stress never leaves the home. The business discussion never ends, whether you are at the family picnic or a dinner, there is always a group of people discussing the business operations. For evidence, my maternal uncle never gets a chance to unwind his brain from the work because he is always discussing his business, irrespective of the place and time. Resultantly, he has developed high blood pressure condition.

In conclusion, family businesses can be fruitful in having sincere employees and not the need to train the employees having said that, it can result in family rivalry and increased work stress.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both sides of the question and give a clear overall view: family businesses offer familiarity and commitment, but can also create rivalry and prevent people from switching off at home. The examples about your uncle’s warehouse fire and his ongoing work stress make the discussion relevant and personal. This meets the task well, and the advantages and disadvantages are both explained. However, the conclusion mainly lists points rather than directly answering whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Some claims, such as family members being “faithful to the operations,” would also benefit from clearer explanation of how this improves business outcomes. State your comparative judgement explicitly and develop the less-supported points to make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for advantages and disadvantages, and a conclusion. The progression from familiarity and trust to rivalry and work stress is easy to follow, and examples are placed alongside the points they support. You also use linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “For instance,” and “In conclusion.” At times, however, connections feel mechanical or the reference is unclear. For example, “Such setting” does not clearly identify which aspect of the business is meant, and “For evidence” is an awkward lead-in to the example. The conclusion’s “having said that” also creates a contrast without clearly resolving the comparison. Use more precise referencing and make the final paragraph synthesise your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic-related vocabulary, including “technicalities,” “stakeholders,” “rivalries,” and “misunderstandings.” These choices help explain both the practical and personal effects of family businesses, and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts at less common phrasing, but some combinations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “unwind his brain,” “fruitful in having sincere employees,” and “take the business out of the crisis.” “Faithful to the operations” is also not the most natural way to describe employees’ commitment. Aim for more precise collocations and avoid translating expressions directly. For example, use “switch off from work,” “benefit from committed employees,” and “recover from the crisis.” This would make your vocabulary more fluent and controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses such as “because the family members are the direct stakeholders” and “whether you are at the family picnic or a dinner.” Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors occur. The opening “Although it has many advantages … But” creates a sentence fragment; combine the clauses or remove “But.” Other examples include “they tend think” (missing “to”), “These type of emotions” (agreement), and “Few years back” (article use). The conclusion also joins contrasting ideas in a way that leaves the sentence structurally unclear. Review articles, agreement, and infinitive forms, and check that each sentence has a complete main clause. Greater accuracy across these structures would strengthen the response.

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