Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-01

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 7.5)

In many parts of the world, it is common for family members to run a business together, from small shops and restaurants to larger farms and manufacturing firms. While this arrangement has some drawbacks, I believe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

There are several clear benefits to family businesses. The main one is trust and commitment. Unlike hired employees, family members often share a strong sense of loyalty to the business and are willing to work long hours and make sacrifices to ensure its survival. For example, in my own city, many textile shops are run by families where parents, children and even grandparents work together during busy seasons, reducing the need to hire temporary staff. This also creates flexibility and low staff turnover. Secondly, family businesses can pass on knowledge and skills from one generation to the next. A child who grows up helping in the family restaurant learns recipes, customer management and accounting from a young age, which gives the business continuity that many corporate businesses lack.

However, there are also disadvantages. One significant problem is that professional boundaries can become blurred. Personal conflicts at home can affect decisions at work, and it can be difficult to criticize or dismiss a relative who is underperforming. This can lead to inefficiency and resentment among other family members or non-family employees. Another disadvantage is limited innovation. Family businesses may be reluctant to take risks or bring in outside expertise because they want to preserve tradition and keep control within the family. As a result, some fail to adapt to market changes. For instance, many traditional family-run bookshops in India struggled when online retail expanded, because the older generation was unwilling to invest in e-commerce.

In conclusion, although family businesses can suffer from emotional conflicts and resistance to change,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the task effectively, maintaining a clear position throughout that the advantages of family businesses outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas are extended and supported well, such as using the example of textile shops to illustrate trust and commitment, and bookshops in India to demonstrate the risk of limited innovation. While the ideas are well-developed, there is a slight tendency to over-generalise in some of the points, which places this response comfortably at this level. To reach higher bands, the writer could provide even more specific, nuanced support or data to strengthen the argumentation rather than relying on broader generalisations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

There is a clear logical organisation and progression throughout the essay. The essay is divided into appropriate paragraphs, with a clear introduction, well-structured body paragraphs exploring both sides of the argument, and logical sequencing of ideas. Cohesive devices are used flexibly, such as 'Unlike hired employees', 'Secondly', and 'As a result', guiding the reader smoothly from one point to the next. Referencing and substitution are handled adeptly, ensuring that relationships between ideas are clear. To achieve an even higher score, cohesion could be made completely unobtrusive, avoiding any mechanical feel in transitional phrases.

Lexical Resource: Band 8.0

The writer demonstrates a wide, fluent, and flexible range of vocabulary, skilfully using uncommon lexical items such as 'temporary staff', 'continuity', 'professional boundaries', and 'e-commerce'. Word choice and collocation are generally very natural, seen in phrases like 'pass on knowledge and skills' and 'adapt to market changes'. There are only occasional inaccuracies or awkwardness in word choice, but communication is never impeded. To move up into the highest band, the writer would need to demonstrate an even more sophisticated control of rare lexical features and idiomatic expressions with consistent precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.5

The response makes use of a wide variety of complex sentence structures, including conditional or concessive clauses ('While this arrangement has some drawbacks, I believe...') and relative clauses ('...where parents, children and even grandparents work together...'). Frequent error-free sentences are present, showcasing good control of grammar and punctuation. While a few minor errors persist, the grammatical control is strong overall. To reach the highest tier of grammatical performance, the text would need to feature an even wider range of structures with near-total freedom from errors.

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