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)

Family members run most local businesses in many countries. While working with family has several benefits, it has a few drawbacks as well. This essay will discuss the merits and demerits of working in a family business before stating my opinion.

Working with family members in an establishment offers several advantages. To begin with, having your loved ones as business partners offers a sense of trust in the workplace. As a result, communication is more efficient between the team, and work can get done faster. For example, as family members consider the business their reputation, they will address the issues and try to resolve them. Moreover, knowledge and reputation stay in the family if there is no outsider working at the place. This helps develop a business that can be passed down to the next generation. So, it is beneficial to have a family business.

On the contrary, working with family can be affected badly if personal conflicts get in between work. So, having personal arguments at home can affect the business, as those differences can turn into workplace differences. Additionally, there is a chance of a lack of professionalism at the workplace. Family members tend to take professional norms and bountries as a suggestion than a requirement. For instane, sometimes people will not show up at their scheduled shift times believing there are no consequences for their actions. Hence, it can be challenging to work with a family.

While both the sides have their own advantages and disadvantages, I still believe that it is better to have family members working then the others. It helps buidling a great business that can be inherited by the younger generation.

In conclusion, being in family business can be challenging becuse of the personal disagreements and lack of professionalism. However, I still believe it is better to have family members who can be trusted to develop a great organization.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response effectively addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of family businesses and stating a clear personal position throughout the essay. The student puts forward relevant ideas, such as trust and communication as advantages, and personal conflicts and lack of professionalism as disadvantages. These ideas are extended and supported with logical explanations, such as the note on family reputation and missed shifts. While the arguments could be developed with slightly more depth to reach higher band levels, the task is fully addressed in a structured manner.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information and ideas are presented in a coherent sequence, beginning with an introduction, moving to separate body paragraphs for advantages and disadvantages, and concluding with a clear summary and restatement of the writer's view. Cohesive devices are used adequately (e.g., 'To begin with', 'Moreover', 'On the contrary', 'Hence', 'In conclusion'), although referencing and paragraph transitions are sometimes slightly formulaic. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct themes.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, allowing for some flexibility and precision with terms such as 'reputation', 'establishment', 'professionalism', and 'inherited'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, though some awkward phrasing and spelling errors occur, such as 'bountries' instead of boundaries, 'instane' instead of instance, 'buidling' instead of building, and 'becuse' instead of because. These minor lexical and spelling errors do not impede communication, placing the response solidly in the band 6 territory.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over relative clauses and conditional structures. There are frequent error-free sentences, such as 'Working with family members in an establishment offers several advantages.' However, several grammatical slips and awkward structures are present, including 'working then the others' (instead of 'than the others') and missing or awkward articles. Punctuation is generally accurate, and errors rarely impede communication, allowing the response to secure a solid band 6.5.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.