Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

It is common to see that family members are working together to run their family business, and I believe that running a business with family members has more advantages than disadvantages. In this essay, I'll discuss my point of view and both the positive and negative impacts of running a business with family members, with appropriate examples.

Firstly, discussing advantages, running a family business with your own family members will give you the freedom to share knowledge. Moreover, you don't have to hire an outside person to make big decisions. As family members share a high level of trust and faith, they can rely on each other for any type of decision. For instance, if a family is running a family business and they have to make an important decision related to money, they can rely on each other rather than a third person from outside.

On the other hand, the most common disadvantage of working with family members is that small conflicts between family members will easily spill over into business and family. Another compelling reason is that in many case younger generation is not interested in their family business, but due to family pressure they have to pursue their career in it, which will result in poor management and failure in the business.

A family business only grows when family members decide to put the business first over family disputes. I think the advantages have more weight than the disadvantages, so working with family members is not bad, but each member has to follow professional standards with loyalty.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the positive and negative impacts of running a family business and clearly stating an overall position that advantages outweigh disadvantages. The ideas presented are relevant, such as trust and shared knowledge versus personal conflicts and lack of interest from the younger generation. However, some ideas are slightly under-developed. For example, the advantage regarding decision-making is repetitive, noting that family members can 'rely on each other rather than a third person from outside.' Furthermore, the example given for financial decisions is generic and lacks specific illustration. To reach a higher band, the student should extend and substantiate arguments with more precise examples or detailed explanations. Overall, the task response is clear and fully addresses the prompt requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression throughout the text. The essay begins with an introduction outlining the writer's position, moves through body paragraphs discussing advantages and disadvantages separately, and concludes with a summary statement. Cohesive devices are used adequately to guide the reader, employing transition signals such as 'Firstly,' 'Moreover,' 'On the other hand,' and 'Another compelling reason.' Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, separating the distinct main points into clear sections. However, referencing is occasionally repetitive, and some transitional links feel slightly mechanical rather than fully integrated. Nevertheless, the organisation remains clear and easy to follow from beginning to end, satisfying the requirements for a solid band 6.5 to 7.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate lexical resource for the task. There is a sufficient range of vocabulary to communicate ideas clearly, including some less common phrases such as 'spill over,' 'family pressure,' and 'professional standards.' However, there are noticeable limitations and occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For instance, the phrase 'give you the freedom to share knowledge' is slightly unnatural in this context, and 'in many case younger generation' contains a grammatical/lexical slip. Vocabulary is sometimes repeated, such as the frequent use of 'family members' and 'family business.' While the vocabulary is adequate to convey the intended meaning without impeding communication, it lacks the precision and flexibility characteristic of higher band levels.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over basic sentence structures and attempts at more intricate clauses, such as 'if a family is running a family business and they have to make an important decision related to money, they can rely on each other.' There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, notably missing articles ('in many case younger generation' should be 'in many cases the younger generation'), slight subject-verb inconsistencies, and minor phrasing awkwardness. However, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication; the reader can easily follow the intended meaning throughout the text. The control of punctuation and sentence boundaries is generally sound, supporting a competent mid-level score.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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