Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-28

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)

In the modern era, due to advancement of technologies, people set up their new business easily. In several countries, in the family business work together by whole family. I strongley agree with this statement because of some reasons such as spend quality time with family and no need to pay salary someone else. In my opinion it is good idea to work in family business and these causes I will explain in upcoming paragraphs.

First of all, the main cause is that get together with every family member. Because if people work with their loved ones in their own organization that is significant for them. They can spend their important time with them while working. Without any hesitation, they can easily share their ideas and view points with them. It would be beneficial for them. Nowadays, due to busy life people do not have time to talk to anyone. Therefore, this is a signifcant to work in business and get some time for family.

Additionally, another helpful point is save salary of other people for their own. To elaborate it, if only family members work in business, they do not need to pay anyone because they will not need any employee or outsider to pay for their work. With this, they can use that saved money to increase their organization. Moreover, due to this, they could earn more money and get profits and could share it each other. It would be helpful to decrease the conflicts in family. Hence, work in family business with whole family can be beneficial.

In conclusion, although work in family businesses with family members have some limitations, there are some reasonable cause which are more essential that other reasons. I think It is better way to get some precious time our loved ones and also worth it because it declines family problems and get ideas them by knowing them.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the advantages of family businesses, taking a clear position ('I strongley agree'). The ideas presented include spending quality time with family members and saving money on salaries. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive, with a tendency to over-generalize regarding conflict resolution and financial savings. Furthermore, the prompt asks whether family businesses have *more* advantages than disadvantages, which requires weighing both sides. The student mentions that businesses have 'some limitations' in the conclusion, but fails to genuinely explore or balance any disadvantages in the body paragraphs. This lack of balance prevents the response from fully developing all parts of the task. Therefore, it satisfies the criteria for Band 6.0, where all parts are addressed but some aspects are under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay has a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs marked by transitional phrases ('First of all', 'Additionally'), and a conclusion. However, cohesion is often faulty or mechanical. For example, sentences such as 'To elaborate it, if only family members work in business, they do not need to pay anyone' reveal awkward phrasing and referencing. Paragraphing is used, but the progression within paragraphs can feel circular, repeatedly circling back to the idea of spending time together without advancing the argument smoothly. Overall, these limitations align with Band 6 descriptors, as the organizational structure is visible and generally logical, but cohesive devices and referencing are sometimes mechanical or unclear.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully communicating everyday concepts related to business and family life ('organization', 'significant', 'conflicts', 'limitations'). However, there are notable spelling errors ('strongley', 'signifcant') and frequent awkward word choices and collocations, such as 'get together with every family member' used as a noun phrase, or 'save salary of other people'. Less common vocabulary is attempted but frequently inaccurate. While communication is not severely impeded, the density of lexical errors and restricted flexibility place this response firmly at Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses and conditional structures ('if people work with their loved ones...', 'if only family members work in business...'). However, grammatical accuracy is weak. There are frequent errors in verb patterns, preposition usage, and missing articles, such as 'in the family business work together by whole family', 'get ideas them', and 'It is better way'. Additionally, sentence fragments and awkward phrasings appear, such as 'which are more essential that other reasons'. The frequency of these errors means that simple sentences are often error-free, but complex structures frequently contain mistakes, corresponding to a Band 5.0 score.

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