Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

There are still many countries in the world where family business play an important role in their economy, and they are usually small and medium companies build by family members. While these sort of organisations might have several advantages, but we shouldn't miss mention their disadvantages in order to have a general and a clear idea about them.

One of the good aspects about starting or having a family business is the knowledge of each other weaknesses and strongests qualities, this help in the work environment by being less stressed and you know each person where position he can do better, in addition to that it creates a team work spirit where every member back up the other, this type of relation inside work is rare to find in the normal companies, and this is one of the main reasons why family business are resilience to economic shocks and they usually live up longer than regular businesses. An example of this situation is that a lot of known international and old companies are started as business family like the case of Decathlon in French which started as a local family business and it grows through the years to become one of the biggest sports wear brands, otherwise in order to expand their activity they needed a lot of financial support and this force them to buy some of their company's shares to investors.

On the other hand, even if family entreprises offer many advantages they have to face some challenges. Usually this type of business rely on the relation between its members, even if it may seems not that big deal, but after the business starts to become more active the members should make sacrifices and show resilience, especially when they begin to hire people outside the family, and the company culture should be protected at this phase, moreover when a family are in charge of an organisation the members have to follow the head of the family plans and this leave them with less freedom in their work, but also if the company goes in a bad period all the members should be together and show patience even if it may affect them in their personal lives. A good illustration of this is when a family business activity goes through difficulties and probably they don't make enough money to be paid, we can't claim our rights by law or easily quite the business because the person have to show its solidarity with the family and even if that means suffer in real life situations.

In a whole, the company businesses may be not suitable for a lot of people because of the aspect of private relation that dominate inside the business, but it can be the perfect solution for people who want to starts together with people close to and grow slowly with time.

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 can suit people who value close relationships, although they are not suitable for everyone. The discussion of mutual support and shared knowledge is relevant, and the example of Decathlon helps illustrate how a family firm can grow. You also identify genuine drawbacks, including reduced freedom and pressure to remain involved during difficult periods. However, the advantages receive more concrete explanation than the disadvantages, and some claims—such as family firms being more resilient and lasting longer—are broad and not fully supported. To strengthen the response, explain more precisely why these benefits outweigh, or do not outweigh, the costs, and develop the final judgement consistently.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for advantages and disadvantages, and a conclusion. The progression from shared strengths to business challenges is generally easy to follow, and examples help connect claims to the topic. However, some linking is mechanical or awkward: “On the other hand” and “moreover” introduce several ideas in a long sentence, while “In a whole” does not clearly signal the conclusion. Some references are also unclear, such as “this type of relation” and “this phase.” Break up the lengthy sentences and make each paragraph’s main point explicit. More precise transitions and references would make the organisation smoother and more controlled.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for the topic, including terms such as “economic shocks,” “financial support,” “investors,” and “company culture.” These choices show an attempt to discuss business concepts beyond basic vocabulary. However, inaccurate word forms, spelling, and collocations sometimes make the expression less natural: “strongests qualities,” “resilience to economic shocks,” “business family,” and “sports wear brands” would benefit from correction. There is also repetition of “family business” and “members,” and phrases such as “good aspects” are quite general. Aim to use more precise combinations, for example, “strengths and weaknesses,” “resilient to economic shocks,” and “family-owned business,” while checking spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including clauses beginning “While,” “even if,” and “especially when.” This gives the response some variety, and the main ideas are usually understandable. However, errors in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence construction are frequent enough to make parts difficult to process. For example, “family business play” should be “family businesses play,” and “this help” should be “this helps.” The opening “While …, but …” combines two contrasting structures incorrectly, while “the members should follow … and this leave them” has an agreement error. Several sentences also run on, particularly in the disadvantages paragraph. Use shorter sentences and check each subject–verb pairing and clause boundary.

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