Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-12
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)
Working together in the family business is century old tradition followed in majority of asiatic countries especially in India and Pakistan. Here, I strongly agree to the fact that benefits of working together has outrages the demerits of joint businesses.
To begin with, there are several advantages professionally and personally.when family members are pursuing common working place, they are working towards common goal. Achieving similar objectives and missions put all the members under the same roof. This aligns their mindset too.
Additionally, this method is cost effective as the enterprise did not have to spend much on outsiders. It also exclude the fear of confidentiality, trust and ineffeciency as all are known. Moreover, one does not have to think of dependency like a corporates and one can enjoy the ownership with little or no investments. Working in a family business also allows for flexible schedule and enhance work-life balance too.
However, as every coin has two sides, there are a few disadvantages too. Often working with family members don't always give you authorities as usually it is the elder ones who takes up decisions. Also, occurence of any disputes at work place affects equally at home as well to the relations too.
Sometimes, family run businesses overlook the opportunity costs of memebers contributing to the single company that can be otherwise pursuing seperate entrepreneurship.
Lastly to conclude, although there are serious disadvantages, In my opinion, there are more advantages because nothing can overpower the peaceful and understanding work-life balance. Joint businesses can be run smoothly and successfully if it's hirearchy is clearly defined and tasks are equally alloted.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0
Your position is clear from the introduction—family businesses have more benefits—and remains consistent in the conclusion. You address both sides with relevant points: shared goals, lower costs and flexibility are weighed against elder relatives controlling decisions, disputes affecting home life, and missed entrepreneurial opportunities. This covers the task and gives the reader a clear line of argument. Several points, however, are asserted rather than fully explained. For example, the claim that family members share a mindset, and that the arrangement creates a peaceful work-life balance, would be stronger with a specific example or explanation of how these outcomes arise. Developing one or two examples in more depth would make the support more convincing and reduce broad generalisations.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0
The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on advantages, a paragraph on disadvantages, and a conclusion that restates your view. Ideas generally progress logically, and signposts such as “Additionally,” “However,” and “Lastly to conclude” help readers follow the argument. The advantages paragraph moves from shared aims to costs, trust and flexibility, while the next paragraph clearly signals the opposing side. To make the progression smoother, group related points more deliberately and explain the links between them; for instance, the connection between shared goals and aligned mindsets is currently asserted rather than shown. Some transitions are formulaic, and punctuation spacing and sentence boundaries occasionally interrupt the flow. More precise referencing and varied transitions would make cohesion less noticeable.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use a range of topic-relevant vocabulary, including “confidentiality,” “dependency,” “ownership,” “opportunity costs,” and “entrepreneurship.” These choices show an attempt to discuss both practical and personal aspects of family businesses. However, inaccurate word choice, collocation and spelling are noticeable and sometimes make the meaning less natural: “outrages the demerits” does not express that advantages outweigh disadvantages, while “hirearchy,” “memebers,” and “seperate” are misspelled. Phrases such as “common working place” and “authorities” are also imprecise in context. Aim for accurate, natural combinations rather than more elaborate wording, and proofread spelling and word forms carefully. This would make your vocabulary more precise and flexible.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including a conditional in “if its hirearchy is clearly defined” and a contrast clause beginning “although there are serious disadvantages.” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in agreement, verb forms, articles and sentence construction are frequent enough to affect accuracy. For example, “benefits … has” should use a plural verb, and “the elder ones who takes up decisions” has a subject–verb agreement error. “Working with family members don't always give you authorities” also has an unclear subject and faulty agreement. Several sentences run together after full stops, as in “personally.when,” and punctuation around clauses is inconsistent. Practise checking each sentence for a clear subject and verb, then review agreement and sentence boundaries.
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