Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Nowadays many people choose to be self-employed, rather than to work for a company or organisation.

Why might this be the case?

What could be the disadvantages of being self-employed?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.0)

Some individuals do not like to work for a company or organisation, instead of this they choose to be self-employed. This seems to be beneficiual for them in some ways because they do not need to follow a timetable, but, it also have some drawbacks through this.

First and foremost, through self-employed, individuals can build their working skills. They do not need to take permisions of anyone to do work or anything, also they have their own income, so the do not have to take stress or anything of less pay or late salaries. Example, if a person open a shop then he do not ned to take permisions of anyone for a holiday or he can also work acording to his mindset rather than taking permsions of anyone.

On the othetr hand, self-employment can not be doner by all people some can find some dificulities in it becase they are not aware of anything about self-emplyment so, chossing self-employed is not a supperior choise for then it can be hairmful for them. Working for a company can build confidence to doing work, also through working there experience can be also gained through it. Example, If a person start a business without knowledge that, this can cause loss to him both mantly and physicaly.

Overall, chossing self-employment is a better thing than working for a company, but, it can also have some major drawbacks for some people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both questions: you suggest that self-employment offers independence over working hours and decisions, and you identify lack of knowledge and possible business losses as disadvantages. However, the reasons are only partly developed. The claim that self-employed people have “their own income” and avoid stress about low pay is not explained, and the disadvantages could be clearer—for example, you could discuss irregular earnings or the responsibility of finding customers. Your conclusion calls self-employment “a better thing” without qualifying this view, despite noting that it can be harmful for some people. The response is also 13 words below the required minimum, so there is limited space to explain and support your ideas. Develop each point with a clear explanation and a relevant example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph about advantages, a paragraph about disadvantages, and a conclusion. The contrast marker “On the other hand” helps signal the shift between the two main points, and the shop example is placed with the relevant advantage. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear because several ideas are joined together without showing how they relate. For instance, the sentence beginning “They do not need to take…” moves from independence to income and stress in one sequence. “Overall” introduces a conclusion, but it repeats the general position rather than drawing together the discussion. Use clearer topic sentences and separate explanations from examples; choose linking words that express the precise relationship between ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “self-employed,” “timetable,” “income,” “confidence,” and “loss,” so the main ideas can generally be understood. However, the range is limited and several noticeable spelling and word-choice errors make parts difficult to follow, such as “permision,” “dificulities,” “supperior choise,” and “hairmful.” Some phrases are also unnatural or imprecise: “build their working skills” does not clearly express the intended benefit, while “less pay or late salaries” is awkward in this context. Aim to learn accurate topic collocations and check spelling carefully. More precise terms such as “flexible working hours,” “financial uncertainty,” and “business experience” would help you explain the ideas more clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, including a contrast with “but” and a conditional example beginning “if a person…”. However, the range is limited, and errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to read. For example, “it also have some drawbacks” needs subject–verb agreement, and “if a person open a shop then he do not ned” contains several errors in the conditional clause and main clause. The sentence beginning “On the othetr hand” also runs several ideas together, making the relationships unclear. Practise building accurate sentences with one main idea at a time, checking singular/plural agreement and verb forms, then add subordinate clauses once the basic structure is secure.

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