Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-06

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)

It is seen in many countries that entire family members contribute their efforts towards their own business rather than doing some job. This essay will highlight what are positive and negative impacts of involvement in the family occupation.

The main advantage for getting indulge into the family business is much more stress free environment as compared to job because the inflation rate is getting higher day by day due to advancement in technology, the pressure on the person's mind is increased that he has disturbed his work life balance. For example, in job person needs to complete his task on time otherwise he will throw out of the company but one can choose and setup is own target and can be modify it whenever he wants to do it. Moreover, it is also seen that the experience of elders always works but when young generation involve in the business then there is more chance of development in terms of profits as there are multiples ways come in front of all for the expansion of the business.

There are certain disadvantages also which is generally faced by the family members going for the same business. Firstly it is seen that market trends are changing day by day so one cannot trust the same business as their ancestors were doing in their time. Secondly, job is trustable during unfavourable situation as it is a source of money generation in addition to the family income.

To conclude, if a person wants stress free and work life balance then he should follow their family trends while if a person has a job then he is always ready to tackle the challenges if the market trends changes in future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both advantages and disadvantages of family businesses, presenting a recognizable position throughout the essay. However, the ideas are somewhat limited and under-developed, which keeps the response at this level. For instance, the discussion on the advantages touches on work-life balance and reduced stress, but the supporting examples are vague and drift into general statements about technology and inflation rather than focusing directly on business dynamics. Similarly, the disadvantages section mentions changing market trends and alternative income sources, but these points lack clear extension or concrete examples. To move to a higher band, the writer needs to fully develop each main idea with specific, relevant explanations and distinct examples that directly support the central argument.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion, and the main body paragraphs are divided into advantages and disadvantages. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the text. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, transitional phrases like 'Firstly' and 'Secondly' are used, but the referencing and logical links between sentences can be clunky, such as 'For example, in job person needs to complete...' where the transition into the example lacks smooth integration. Pronoun referencing and substitution are occasionally unclear, requiring the reader to work harder to follow the progression. To achieve a higher band, the writer should ensure that cohesive devices are applied more flexibly and naturally, and that the logical flow between ideas within paragraphs is tighter and more transparent.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, providing enough range to discuss the topic of family businesses. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary items, such as 'inflation rate', 'advancement in technology', and 'unfavourable situation', but these attempts are often accompanied by noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and phrasing, such as 'getting indulge into' instead of 'engaging in' or 'getting involved in', and 'job is trustable' instead of 'employment provides security'. There are also occasional awkward phrasings like 'source of money generation'. These lexical inadequacies cause some difficulty for the reader and prevent the score from rising. To improve, the writer must focus on accurate collocations, natural word forms, and precision in vocabulary to convey ideas more fluently and effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on basic sentence forms alongside attempts at complex sentences that are frequently faulty. There are noticeable errors in grammar, including missing articles ('in job person needs'), incorrect prepositions ('for getting indulge into'), subject-verb agreement issues ('when young generation involve'), and awkward relative clauses. For instance, the sentence 'he has disturbed his work life balance' contains tense and structural inaccuracies, and 'otherwise he will throw out of the company' displays a passive voice error. These frequent errors in grammar and punctuation can cause difficulty for the reader, though the core meaning remains partially accessible. To reach a higher band, the writer needs to expand their repertoire of complex sentence forms while maintaining tighter control over basic grammatical rules, tense consistency, and article usage.

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

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