Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-11

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 5.5)

In many countries, it is very common to work in their family owned-businesses such as shops, restaurants and so on. Although this argument have more disagreements as compared to agreements but I think it has more advantages then disadvantages that I would like to discuss further in the upcoming paragraphs.

First of all talking about the positive points of working together in a family business. The first and most important thing is we do not need to struggle with the start up of the business by own. As all the family member contribute equally to build the business. Secondly, people do not need to pay salaries to the workers as they are enough to work together. So they can save that money and use this to grow more their business. By this they have more profit. for example, in India most of the shop owners give responsibilities to their children. There is my grandfather who started a clothes store and my uncle and my father work with them and mow they have launched our store in other cities as well by working together and we have three store in total.

On the other hand, if a thing have pros they should have cons as well. The main problem is that working together can cause family problems. Like if a small mistake ruined the whole business and make differenced into the family members.

In conclusion, working in a family business can be profitable as it can make more profit by saving the money that give to the other workers. but it have some side effects like creating family misunderstandings. but if the family members have a strong trust and positive relations they can tackle with any problem very smartly.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you believe family businesses have more advantages, and you address both benefits and drawbacks. The points about sharing the work and reinvesting money saved on wages are relevant, while the example of your grandfather’s clothing business gives the response a personal, specific illustration. However, the disadvantages are much less developed: you mention that a mistake could cause family problems, but do not explain how disagreements might affect business decisions or give an example. Some claims, such as family members contributing equally, are also presented as general facts without qualification. Develop the opposing point and explain the links between each reason and your overall judgement more fully to make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on advantages, a paragraph on disadvantages, and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “First of all,” “Secondly,” and “On the other hand” help readers follow the main stages, and the family-business example is placed with the relevant benefit. This shows coherent organisation, though some linking is mechanical and the progression within paragraphs is uneven. The opening sentence of the advantages paragraph is a fragment, and the conclusion repeats the point about saving money rather than drawing together the discussion. Use complete topic sentences, connect explanations more explicitly, and make references such as “this” or “they” unmistakably clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “family business,” “responsibilities,” “profit,” and “misunderstandings.” The personal example also makes the discussion concrete. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations sound unnatural, such as “start up of the business by own,” “make differenced into the family members,” and “tackle with any problem.” Spelling and word-form slips, including “mow” for “now” and “store” where the plural is needed, also reduce precision. Aim to learn common business collocations and check word forms and spelling; more accurate phrasing will make your ideas easier to understand without changing their meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a conditional idea in “if the family members have a strong trust … they can tackle…,” and your main position is generally understandable. However, control is inconsistent, particularly in verb agreement, articles, plurals, and sentence boundaries. Examples include “this argument have,” “each family member contribute,” and “it have some side effects.” The opening of the second paragraph, “First of all talking about…,” is not a complete sentence, while the long example sentence joins several ideas without clear punctuation. Practise checking subject–verb agreement and building complete sentences, then use full stops or conjunctions to separate related points. Greater accuracy across these structures would improve clarity.

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