Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-11-13

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 5.5)

It has been observed that, in recent days a lot of people try to be self-employed, instead of working for a company or organisation. There could be multiple reasons for such a situation as well as disadvantages of being self-employed. All the aspects would be discussed in the upcoming paragraphs with its relevent panacea.

To commence with, there are several reasons for people choosing their own work rather than doing work for someone. Nowadays individuals mindsets are different they do not want to work under someone they want to be self dependent , this is one of the main reason. In addition, recently companies are giving a lot of extra work and forcing employes to work for extra hours. Due to this folks do not get enough time to spend woth their families and for their self health.

Moreover, unemployement rate is too high right now this is also one of the reason. Because of the fear of getting unempolyed people are trying to do self employed.

There are some disadvantages of being self-employed. At the outset, huge risk of getting profit, may not get return what they think of. For instance a person start some business them self he will invest his money and what if he did not get a good return they this will lead to loss and depression. Furthermore, fix return suppose a person will get injured or sick then from where he will get the money who will do the job. For example a single boy in a family who earn money by self-employment and he may get injured and suffering for fever then if he will not do the work then there is no one who will earn and have enough money to raise the family.

To sum up, due to unemployment rate there a lot of citiens are trying to get self-employed to rise their family and themself and also the attitude of people not want to work under someone, and many disadvantages are there which a lot of denizens are facing right now for self-empolyed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both questions and give relevant reasons for self-employment, including a wish for independence, excessive hours in company jobs, and high unemployment. You also explain risks such as uncertain income and being unable to work when ill, with examples that make the disadvantages understandable. This coverage fits the task, but the ideas are not developed equally: the point about unemployment is brief, and the opening promises a “panacea” without offering solutions, which are not required by the question. Some claims, such as people choosing self-employment because they do not want to work under someone, would be stronger with a clearer explanation or a specific example. Develop each main point more fully and keep the introduction focused on the two questions asked.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph on reasons, a paragraph on disadvantages, and a conclusion. Sequencing is generally clear, and signposts such as “In addition,” “Moreover,” and “To sum up” help readers follow the discussion. However, some linking is mechanical, and a few references are unclear. For example, “For instance a person start some business them self” does not connect smoothly to the preceding point about profit risk, while “this is also one of the reason” leaves the reader to infer the link to unemployment. The conclusion repeats earlier points rather than drawing them together. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each example explicitly to the claim it supports.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “self-employed,” “unemployment rate,” “extra hours,” “return,” and “invest his money.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, sometimes making the meaning harder to follow. Examples include “huge risk of getting profit” where you mean uncertainty about making a profit, “fix return” for a steady income, and “rise their family” for support their family. Spelling errors such as “employes,” “unemployement,” and “citiens” also reduce accuracy. Build a bank of precise phrases for income, business risk, and employment, and check spelling and word forms during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including conditional ideas such as “what if he did not get a good return” and a time clause beginning “if he will get injured or sick.” This shows some range, but control is inconsistent, and errors in sentence structure, verb forms, agreement, articles, and punctuation sometimes make the reader work to understand the point. For example, “Nowadays individuals mindsets are different they do not want…” joins clauses without suitable punctuation, while “a person start some business” has an incorrect verb form. The final sentence also contains several clauses that are difficult to follow. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and past or present forms, and divide long sentences into shorter, clearly punctuated units.

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