Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-07

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)

Family members collaborate and work together in their family business in a number of countries. In my opinion, family businesses have significantly more advantages and only a few disadvantages.

Having a family businesses is common in Asian countries like the Philippines and China, and having this type of business provide a number of benefits. For instance, the people in a family is more trustworthy than someone hired from the outside. This is because people know their family members better and are closer to them, compared to acquaintances, and they have known them their whole life. Furthermore, having to work with children and nephews, of the legal age, would cost less compared to hiring someone else that would demand a higher wage. This would in turn lead to lower expense for the business and would increase the chance that the company survives longer.

On the other hand, there are a few disadvantages of having a family business, especially for workers. For instance, if there are other non-family workers, they could possibly find themselves being treated differently compared to the family workers. They might feel it is unfair, especially if they notice that the business owner's son rises faster in the ranks compared to them. Moreover, there is a small chance that a family business could have internal conflicts with their own family and could affect the entire business operations. An example could be two heads of the family that have personal issues, or a different opinion on how the operation should be run. But these problems could be resolved with proper consultations and setting aside personal drama for the company's benefit.

In my opinion, owning a family business would provide more advantages for the business as a whole, such as employee trustworthiness and lower expense that would improve the business' success. However, it still has some drawbacks such as unfair treatment to employees and family conflicts, but those are only minor compared to the benefits.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction—family businesses have “significantly more advantages”—and remains consistent in the conclusion. You address both sides of the question, supporting the benefits with trust and lower staffing costs, and the drawbacks with possible unequal treatment and family conflict. The examples, such as a son advancing faster and relatives disagreeing about how to run operations, make the discussion relevant. This is a well-supported response, although some claims are broad: for example, that relatives are more trustworthy and that employing them costs less are presented as general truths rather than qualified possibilities. The point about lower costs is also developed more fully than the trust argument. Adding a specific illustration or explaining when these advantages may not apply would make the ideas more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised into a clear introduction, a paragraph on advantages, a paragraph on disadvantages, and a conclusion. The progression is easy to follow, and signposts such as “For instance,” “Furthermore,” “On the other hand,” and “Moreover” help readers see how each point relates to the argument. The final paragraph effectively restates your position and summarises the main reasons. Some linking is a little formulaic, however, and the repeated use of “For instance” makes the development feel somewhat patterned. The sentence beginning “But these problems could be resolved” also moves quickly from identifying conflict to dismissing its impact. You could improve flow by varying transitions and making the relationship between each example and its supporting claim more explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary to discuss employment, costs, and workplace relationships, including “trustworthy,” “acquaintances,” “internal conflicts,” and “business operations.” These choices communicate your ideas clearly, and the meaning remains accessible throughout. However, some wording is imprecise or does not combine naturally: “lower expense” would be more idiomatic as “lower expenses” or “reduced costs,” while “rises faster in the ranks” is less natural than “is promoted more quickly.” “Having a family businesses” also shows an inaccurate word form, and “personal drama” is rather informal for this essay. Aim for more precise business-related collocations and a consistently neutral academic tone; this would make the vocabulary more flexible and controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, including explanations with “This is because,” conditional phrasing such as “if there are other non-family workers,” and a concession introduced by “However.” Most sentences are understandable, and grammatical errors do not prevent the reader from following your argument. Some errors remain in agreement and sentence construction: “having a family businesses … provide” should be “having a family business … provides,” and “the people in a family is” should be “people in a family are.” The phrase “children and nephews, of the legal age” is awkwardly punctuated, and “a different opinion on how the operation should be run” does not agree smoothly with the preceding “two heads.” Review subject–verb agreement, singular and plural forms, and punctuation around inserted phrases to improve accuracy.

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