Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

Family members are the most closest and trustworthy to a person, and for a business to grow family involving family members is the most safest option that a person could consider. In many countries espacially in south asia most people join there family business and grow togather. In pakistan the richest people mostly runs a family businesses.

The example of Lucky group, where Mr Abdul Razak tabba started the business that is now being run by his children. His daughter runs a chain of Hospitals while his eldest son Ali tabba run other major industries of the lucky group including a mall and cement factories. Similarly the Dawood Family runs Engro group who are pioneer in the fertilizers and milk industry. There are many other examples as well but one major practice that is common accrosss the successful businessmen is the teachings of there elders and clear principles set by there elders.

In family business the dividends are shared almost equally to the family that keeps them running. The passion to build there family name and to make there family proud enables them to put extra efforts with the leverage of trust factor. There could be one disadvantage if the principles are not clear of greed for the money increases in any one of the member then not only they loose the business partner but will eventually loose there relation they have with that person.

In my opinion the family business is alway encouraged to start with clear boundries and strong principles.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You give a clear answer in favour of family businesses, especially in the opening and final sentences, and you provide relevant examples from Pakistan, including the Lucky Group and Engro. You also identify benefits such as trust, shared dividends, and motivation to protect the family name, then acknowledge a possible drawback involving greed and damaged relationships. This addresses both sides of the question. However, the disadvantages are only briefly explained, and the examples mainly illustrate successful businesses rather than showing how family involvement creates the advantages you claim. Develop the counterargument and explain the links between each example and your position more fully to make the response more complete and persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph of examples, a discussion of benefits and a drawback, and a concluding opinion. This gives the reader a general sense of progression. However, the organisation within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow. The examples of the two business groups take up much of the second paragraph, while the explanation of the main advantages appears later, so the argument is not developed in the clearest order. Linking phrases such as “Similarly” and “In my opinion” help, but connections between claims and supporting details are often implicit. Use topic sentences to signal each paragraph’s purpose and add clearer transitions explaining how each example supports your view.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “family business,” “principles,” “dividends,” “trust factor,” and “leverage,” and the examples allow you to discuss business ownership specifically. However, the range is limited in places, and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “family involving family members,” “the richest people,” and “the teachings of their elders.” Spelling errors, including “espacially,” “togather,” and “accrosss,” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more precise expressions such as “family-run enterprises,” “business leaders,” and “guidance from previous generations.” Proofreading spelling and choosing natural collocations would make your meaning clearer and more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a conditional idea about greed and a relative clause in “the business that is now being run by his children.” The overall meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “the most closest” and “the most safest” use incorrect superlative forms; “most people join there family business” has an agreement and possessive error; and “his eldest son Ali tabba run” has incorrect subject–verb agreement. There are also problems with articles and number in “a family businesses.” Review superlatives, possessive pronouns, and agreement, then check each sentence for a clear subject and correctly matched verb. More accurate control of these patterns would strengthen the response.

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