Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-03

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)

Some people argue that in most countries, family members work together in their family business. This essay will write to support on the advantages of supporting a family business and possibly give relevant examples.

For some reason people have learnt the essence of building a lasting legacy as related to working in a family company. One of such is that, it allows young minds to support the business from failing as this seems to be the source of income for the family, in that case from infant age the children are being raised to pertake in the business and each already have an idea from childhood of their responsibility. This does not only engage the children but also preparing their mindset towards having the family business at heart.

Furthermore, having a family business has already created a work vacancy in the heart of the young once as they would not have to job hunt they already know they can resume offices after there study and start earning immediatly, in other cases people work in their family company just to keep the secret of the sucess of the business in a close knit than to have outsiders who may end up being their competitors in the business.

For instance, there is a bread mall company just a few kilometers from my building, the whole family members are working virtually in all departments in this business setting with the mindset of protecting the secret of there bread making and also not to have competitors who will end up producing similar bread in the future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt regarding whether family businesses have more advantages than disadvantages, taking a general stance in favour of advantages such as legacy and avoiding job hunts. However, the treatment of the task is limited and under-developed. For instance, the introduction states that the essay will write to support advantages, but the body paragraphs lean heavily on reasons without offering a balanced perspective or deeply extended arguments. The example of the bread mall company is somewhat repetitive and vague. To move to a higher level, the ideas need to be more fully extended and supported with clearer, more precise reasoning rather than repeating similar concepts.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some basic organisation in the essay, with distinct paragraphs separating the introduction and body ideas. However, there is no clear overall progression, and the transitions between sentences can feel abrupt. Cohesive devices are sometimes inadequate or repetitive, such as the frequent reliance on 'one of such is that' or 'furthermore' without smooth logical links. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, leaving the reader to guess the precise connection between ideas. To achieve a better flow, the writer should use a wider variety of cohesive devices more accurately and ensure that each paragraph builds logically upon the previous one with a clear overarching structure.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and barely adequate for the task, containing noticeable errors that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. There are issues with word choice and word formation, such as writing 'pertake' instead of 'partake', 'immediatly' instead of 'immediately', and 'sucess' instead of 'success'. The student attempts some less common vocabulary items like 'close knit' and 'legacy', but inaccuracies in spelling and collocations prevent a higher score. To improve lexical resource, the writer needs to expand their vocabulary range, pay closer attention to word forms, and ensure standard spelling practices are consistently applied.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a limited range of sentence structures, with frequent errors that can cause difficulty for the reader. The student attempts complex sentences, but these are often faulty, such as in the opening sentence: 'This essay will write to support on the advantages...'. There are also issues with prepositions, articles, and agreement, including 'the whole family members' and 'after there study'. Punctuation is basic and sometimes missing around clauses. To reach the next level, the writer must reduce the frequency of grammatical errors and demonstrate better control over a mix of simple and complex sentence patterns.

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