Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-10

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)

Developing a career in family business has become the trend in this contemporary world. Although, this concept has some serious drawbacks, I firmly believe that it is associated with substantial number of positive outcomes that should not be overlooked. This essay will examine both the advantages and disadvantages of working in a family business.

To begin with the benefits of building a career in the business owned by family members. The most prominent is that there is no risk of losing. By working in a family firm brings a sense of security and financial stability. As a result, the chances of facing income crisis and hardships in terms of looking for a job after graduation are significantly diminished. Secondly, it provides the opportunity to get familiar with the techniques and skills that are being utilized by your own family members to run that business effectively. Consequently, it will encourage them to learn consistancy and preservation.

On the other hand, privately held companies usually have least chances of career growth and development. People who are working in these kinds of organizations are more scared of challenging failure which limits their abilities to succeed and professional growth. For example, a person who graduated from an IT university and continues his career in the family business can not get expertise within his industry which restricts him to be confident and self reliant.

In conclusion, running a successful family business could be an appropriate way to enhance the family relationships. However, it discourages people from being able to make decisions by their own which eventually reduces their self esteem and critical thinking.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The essay addresses all parts of the prompt, providing both advantages and disadvantages. The position is clear from the introduction and maintained throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the benefits are explained, the disadvantages—specifically the point about 'challenging failure'—are slightly underdeveloped and lack clarity. The conclusion introduces a new point about 'family relationships' which was not mentioned in the body paragraphs, making the argument feel slightly disjointed. To reach a higher band, ensure that each body paragraph fully explores the implications of the points raised rather than just listing them.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Consequently', and 'On the other hand' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For instance, the link between 'consistency and preservation' and the previous sentence is a bit abrupt. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear, but the use of cohesive devices could be more varied and natural to achieve a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with some attempts at less common items like 'contemporary world', 'diminished', and 'self-reliant'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'no risk of losing' (which is vague) and 'scared of challenging failure' (which is an awkward phrasing). The word 'consistancy' is also misspelled. While the range is sufficient to convey meaning, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band. Focusing on more natural collocations and ensuring accurate spelling will improve this score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader, such as 'By working in a family firm brings' (an unnecessary 'By'), 'can not get expertise within his industry which restricts him to be confident' (awkward structure), and 'make decisions by their own' (should be 'on their own'). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Increasing the variety of complex structures while ensuring better control over subject-verb agreement and prepositional usage would be beneficial.

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