Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-04

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 era of competition, it is almost impossible to build something big by taking a solo flight. By contrast, some examples, who have achieved the milestones, are prevalent in the real world.

There are some advantages and disadvantages of doing family businesses. On the one side, family business gives an opportunity to join plateform which is already established, and they just need to think to take it to next level in the market, rather than starting from nothing. By doing so, families who are doing a business share more time with each other, and they share strong bond with each other becuase whole family has a commom goal.

On the other hand, there are some disadvantages too to being whole family a part of same business. There are more chances of collapse in business if the trend of the business model changes in the local or international market. It is evident in the history of the business, with growing technology and the people perspectives, models of many businesses change with the passage of the time. for that, there must be a second life-line to cater financial needs of the family and business. Secondly, if whole family is doing one business, then it may produce a professional sense of rift or competition between family members, which can weaken the family unity.

Both ideas have some pros and cons and examples are prevalent in Society. One of my friend's family had one cattle form who used to sell meat and milk in the local market. onces the Government chnages the policy to shift all the forms away from residential areas then they to face big problem financially.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of family businesses, fulfilling the basic requirements of the task. However, the position is not always clearly sustained throughout the essay, and the ideas presented remain somewhat limited and under-developed. For example, while the writer mentions that joining an established platform is beneficial, this point is not fully expanded with clear explanation or robust supporting details. Similarly, the arguments regarding market changes and family rifts are introduced but lack the depth and thorough elaboration required for higher bands. The conclusion is brief and introduces a specific personal example about a cattle farm, but this example is not integrated smoothly to weigh whether advantages outweigh disadvantages overall. To reach higher bands, the writer must ensure all arguments are fully extended and supported with relevant, well-developed explanations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays some overall organization with recognizable paragraph breaks separating the introduction, advantages, disadvantages, and conclusion. However, there is a lack of clear overall progression linking the ideas together smoothly. Cohesive devices are sometimes used awkwardly, mechanically, or inaccurately, such as the transitional phrase 'on the one side' instead of the standard collocation, and the abrupt shift beginning 'for that' in the third paragraph. Referencing and logical transitions between sentences also show occasional lapses, particularly in the final paragraph where the personal example about the cattle farm is introduced rather disjointed from the preceding analysis. To improve in this area, the writer needs to employ a wider and more accurate range of cohesive devices and ensure that each paragraph flows logically into the next, establishing a clearer trajectory of thought from introduction to conclusion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to convey the basic message of the prompt. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary items, such as 'prevalent', 'collapse', and 'financial needs', but these attempts are often accompanied by noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and phrasing, such as writing 'join plateform' instead of 'join a platform', 'whole family a part of same business', and 'cattle form' instead of 'cattle farm'. Additionally, there are several spelling and word form errors throughout the text, including 'becuase', 'commom', 'perspectives' used where perspective is meant, 'onces', and 'chnages'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they cause noticeable difficulty for the reader. To achieve a higher band, the writer should focus on expanding their lexical repertoire, ensuring correct spelling, and mastering natural collocations related to business and employment.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on basic sentence forms with frequent attempts at complex sentences that are often faulty. There are numerous errors in grammar, articles, plurals, and prepositions within grammatical patterns, which can cause difficulty for the reader. Examples include missing articles ('in history of the business', 'with growing technology'), incorrect subject-verb agreement or tense shifts ('onces the Government chnages the policy... then they to face big problem'), and awkward clause constructions such as 'there are some disadvantages too to being whole family a part of same business'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, evidenced by lowercase letters at the beginning of sentences like 'for that' and 'onces'. To progress to the next level, the writer must work on constructing error-free complex sentences and maintaining consistent grammatical accuracy across verb tenses, articles, and sentence boundaries.

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