Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-11-11
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 4.0)
Many people wants to be self-employed because they wants to work any time any moment.they do not have to maintens their time and maintens their routine.Beside they have many time to do any think.Beside their work they have time to spent with their family.when ever tthey want they easily visit their relatives.when people works in the office they do not have time to eat properly .But when people stay in home they do not have to worry about eating or drinking.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 3.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 4.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0
You identify one possible reason for choosing self-employment: greater control over working time, with more opportunity to spend time with family and visit relatives. However, the response addresses only the first question. It does not explain any disadvantages of self-employment, such as irregular income, lack of paid leave, or the need to find clients, and the ideas offered are not supported with a specific example. The claim that office workers do not have time to eat properly is also broad and needs explanation. The response is substantially below the required minimum of 250 words, so there is not enough development to answer the task fully. To improve, cover both questions and explain each main point with reasons or an example.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0
The ideas are related and there is a basic sequence: you introduce flexible working, then mention family time, visiting relatives, and eating at home. This gives the reader a general sense of your point. However, the response is presented as one short block, without a clear introduction, developed body paragraphs, or a conclusion. Connections rely heavily on repeated “Beside” and “when,” and the relationship between some claims is not fully explained. For example, the move from visiting relatives to office workers’ eating habits feels abrupt. Organise the answer into paragraphs for the reasons and disadvantages, and use a wider range of accurate linking expressions to show how each idea relates to the next.
Lexical Resource: Band 4.5
You use a small set of relevant words and phrases, including “self-employed,” “routine,” “family,” and “relatives,” so the main topic is generally understandable. However, vocabulary is repetitive and several choices or spellings make the meaning less clear: “maintens” appears to mean managing or maintaining a schedule, “any think” should be “anything,” and “time to spent” is not a natural phrase. “Work any time any moment” also needs a more precise expression. Build a wider range of vocabulary for both benefits and drawbacks of self-employment, and check spelling and collocations. For example, you could describe “flexible working hours,” “financial uncertainty,” or “a steady income” to express ideas more precisely.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5
The response mainly uses simple statements, with a few attempts to connect clauses using “because,” “when,” and “but.” This allows the reader to follow the general message, but sentence structures are repetitive and control is inconsistent. For example, “Many people wants” and “they wants” have subject–verb agreement errors; “when people works” has the same problem. The sentence beginning “when ever tthey want” also needs clearer punctuation and sentence boundaries, while “they have time to spent” uses an incorrect verb form. Practise accurate present-simple agreement and infinitive patterns, such as “have time to spend,” then combine ideas into a few longer sentences using subordinate clauses. Proofread for capital letters and full stops.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.