Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-06

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)

These days, there has been a growing debate about whether family members should run the same business together. This practice has several benefits, but it also has some disadvantages. In my opinion, the advantages of running a family business together outweigh the disadvantages.

The primary benefit is that working with family members can make their bond stronger. Moreover, they do not need to look for jobs outside the family because they can work in their own business.For example, parents can work with their children and share their knowledge and experience.Another advantage is that family members can continue the family legacy and expand the business. They can also pass it on to the next generation. To illustrate, children can learn business skills from their parents and continue managing the company in the future.

Meanwhile, Family members can share the profits and reduce the cost of hiring employees. For example, family members can manage different tasks without hiring too many outside workers. Another benefit is that family members can share responsibilities according to their skills, which can make the business more organised and efficient

However, One major disadvantage is that personal disagreements between family members can affect their business. Sometimes, they may have different opinions about how to manage the company, which can lead to arguments and misunderstandings. As a result, these conflicts may reduce productivity and negatively affect the success of the business.

To conclude, although running a family business may sometimes lead to disagreements, it offers several benefits. I believe its advantages outweigh its disadvantages because it strengthens family relationships and helps preserve the family legacy.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction to the conclusion: you believe the advantages of family businesses outweigh the disadvantages. You address both sides and give relevant reasons, including stronger family bonds, passing on a legacy, sharing profits, and disagreements. Examples such as children learning from their parents help make the points concrete. However, some benefits are listed rather than fully explained; for instance, the claim that family members can reduce hiring costs could be developed by explaining when this is practical or what risks it may involve. The disadvantage is also less developed than the advantages. To strengthen the response, explain the consequences of family conflict in more detail and connect each example more explicitly to your overall judgement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, discussion of benefits, a contrasting disadvantage, and a conclusion that restates your view. Ideas generally progress logically, and linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “For example,” “However,” and “As a result” help guide the reader. The organisation is not fully smooth, though: the benefits are spread across two paragraphs without a clear distinction, and “Meanwhile” does not clearly signal the relationship between the points that follow. Some transitions therefore feel mechanical rather than showing precise links between ideas. Improve cohesion by grouping related benefits into a single, clearly focused paragraph or using topic sentences to distinguish them, and ensure each linking phrase accurately reflects the connection between sentences.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “family legacy,” “productivity,” “responsibilities,” and “efficient.” These choices communicate the main ideas clearly, and the reader can follow your argument without difficulty. However, several expressions are broad or repeated, particularly “family members,” “business,” and “benefit/advantage,” which limits flexibility. Some phrasing is also less natural or precise, such as “run the same business together” and “reduce the cost of hiring employees.” Aim for more specific language and natural collocations—for example, refer to relatives working in a family-owned company, or to lowering staffing costs. Varying repeated terms and choosing more precise verbs would make the discussion sound more fluent and controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses such as “although running a family business may sometimes lead to disagreements” and “which can lead to arguments and misunderstandings.” Most sentences are clear, and grammatical errors do not prevent understanding. Some punctuation and sentence-boundary issues remain: there is no space after the full stop in “business.For example,” and “Another benefit is that … efficient” needs a final full stop. Capitalisation is also inconsistent after transitions: “Family members” and “One major disadvantage” are capitalised after commas within the same sentence. For greater control, check sentence boundaries and capital letters during proofreading, and continue using varied clause structures while keeping punctuation accurate.

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