Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-13

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)

Nowadays, many family businesses are run by family members. In my opinion , it has more disadvantages than advantages as no one gets a chance to choose a career they want to persue and it can also lead to family conflicts. However, money flow is good in family businesses and responsibility lies on all members.

The idea of working in family business sounds well only when it is successful because our fathers and grandfathers have worked really hard to put the business stancle. With this being said, there is an adequate money available for the new generations to come and they might not put an effort to prove themselves. When working in a family business the responsibility lies on all family workers as they are together in this therefore, if there's any loss it is beared by all members of the family. However, all of this does not let anyone show their true potential. For instance, Gulgee who is a very famous artist in Asia ran a successful art business. Later, it was taken over by his son Amin Gulgee who was not really a good at art but was quite well in mathematics. His choice of career was changed because he has to run his father's business. Hence, it is a loss to the world of mathematics.

The drawbacks of working in a family business are plenty one of which is no one gets an option to make a career choice themselves because they are bound to work together. This results in low decision making power and long-term dependancy on others. This can sometimes cause lack of self confidence and no one gets a chance to see what they are capable of. The other important disadvantage is the intense family conflicts because everyone cannot be on the same page which can hurt the internal relationships of the family and eventually a great loss in the business.

For example, my uncle ran a successful tyre business which went to a huge loss after a major conflict between the brothers of family.

In conclusion, family members working in family business should be well aware that it can sometimes cause break in family relations. However, there is less responsilbility and easy money but it comes at a stake of there personal career choice.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response clearly addresses the prompt by taking a definite position that family businesses have more disadvantages than advantages. The writer discusses both sides of the issue, touching on financial security and shared responsibility as advantages, while addressing the restriction of career choice and family conflicts as disadvantages. The ideas are supported with examples, such as the mention of artist Gulgee and a personal anecdote about an uncle's tyre business. However, some arguments lack deep development, and certain points, like the claim that there is 'less responsibility,' feel slightly contradictory to earlier statements. Nevertheless, the main parts of the task are adequately covered, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.5 or solid Band 6 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is generally coherent with a clear overall arrangement. Information and arguments are organized into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by body paragraphs discussing the advantages and disadvantages, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'However,' 'For instance,' and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally faulty or mechanical, as seen in awkward transitions like 'The drawbacks of working in a family business are plenty one of which is...' Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion within paragraphs could be smoother and more precise to achieve a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'dependancy,' 'potential,' and 'intense family conflicts.' However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'persue' instead of 'pursue,' 'stancle' instead of 'stance' or 'foundations,' 'beared' instead of 'borne,' and 'there personal' instead of 'their personal.' These lexical inaccuracies and non-standard collocations slightly impede fluency but do not severely hinder overall communication, placing the response firmly in the Band 6 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the text, such as missing commas, incorrect verb forms ('he has to run' instead of 'he had to run'), and faulty subject-verb agreement or phrasing ('was not really a good at art but was quite well in mathematics'). Punctuation around the introduction is also flawed (e.g., 'In my opinion , it has...'). While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of grammatical errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band.

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