Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-07

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 6.5)

In a number of countries today, family members prefer to work together in a family business. This essay will discuss why the advantages of family businesses outweigh the disadvantages.

One major advantage of family business is that they can trust and support each other. They can divide their work and cooperate with each other as they know one another very well. For example, if they are working in a restaurant, they can allocate tasks among each other, such as, some will take responsibility of cooking, others will manage and help in handling finances. As a result, the restaurant will run smoothly due to their teamwork.

Another important advantage of doing family business is that, it can reduce operating costs. They may work without salary during initial and critical phase of new business establishment. For instance, a small family owned clothing store can be managed by parents and their children without the need to employ any other worker. Consequently, it will save the little money which they would be able to earn during initial time.

The main disadvantage of family business is that, it can have a huge negative impact in case of any conflict among family members. There can be ups and downs in any family therefore in such cases there will be a great loss to the business and family members. To epitome, If two siblings open a clothing store together, they may disagree with each other views on how to use profits or expand the business. As a result, it will cause harm to the business production and also their inter-personal relationship. Therefore, without trust and support, family business fails to thrive.

In conclusion, Although family businesses can sometime cause conflict and disagreement among family members, they offer greater benefit overall. With trust, support and low cost distribution, family business can flourish and achieve long-term success. Therefore, I believe that advantages of family businesses outweigh their disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address both sides of the question and state a clear position in the introduction and conclusion: the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. The two advantages—mutual trust and support, and lower operating costs—are relevant and illustrated with restaurant and clothing-store examples. You also explain how disagreements over profits or expansion can damage both the business and family relationships. This gives the response a clear, supported argument. Some claims are broad, however, such as saying family members may work without salary, and the disadvantage is less fully explored than the advantages. To strengthen the response further, explain when unpaid work is realistic and develop how families might manage conflict, while keeping the examples closely tied to your overall judgement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear, effective structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the advantages and disadvantage, and a conclusion that restates your position. Ideas generally progress logically, and linking expressions such as “For example,” “As a result,” and “Consequently” help show relationships between claims and examples. The conclusion also brings together the main points. At times, however, transitions feel formulaic because several sentences rely on result markers, and some references are not fully clear—for example, “it” in “it can reduce operating costs” refers to the family business but is separated from its subject. Use a wider range of transitions and make references explicit. The phrase “There can be ups and downs in any family” also interrupts the progression slightly; connect it more directly to business decision-making.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary to discuss cooperation, costs, conflict, and business outcomes, including “allocate tasks,” “operating costs,” “disagree,” and “long-term success.” These choices make the argument easy to follow, and you attempt some more formal expressions. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “To epitome,” “responsibility of cooking,” “low cost distribution,” and “business production.” “Inter-personal” is also less natural here than “personal.” These slips do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and control. Aim to learn common word partnerships in context, and choose straightforward, accurate phrasing rather than forcing formal-sounding expressions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentences, including conditional structures such as “if they are working in a restaurant” and “if two siblings open a clothing store together.” Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “One major advantage of family business is” needs a plural or article adjustment, and “they may disagree with each other views” needs a possessive form. Commas are also misplaced in phrases such as “Another important advantage … is that, it can reduce operating costs” and “In conclusion, Although…”. Review articles, agreement, possessives, and punctuation around introductory clauses. More consistent accuracy in these areas, alongside your existing sentence variety, would make the argument smoother and more controlled.

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