Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-02

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 6.0)

In current scenario where AI has has transformed the workplace. Availability of such tools has made employees life more efficient and has helped them to establish their own business which has encouraged people to choose self employment rather than working for a company or an organization. Self employment gives greater freedom in decision making and flexibility in working hours. Moreover, the potential of earning higher profits than traditional organizations. In contrast, self-employment can lead to unstable income, as earnings may fluctuate depending on business performance. Moreover, self-employed individuals often have greater responsibilities and experience higher levels of stress. They also do not enjoy employee benefits such as health insurance and paid leave. Furthermore, self-employed people may face difficulties in maintaining a professional work routine, as the absence of a structured workplace can result in reduced focus and productivity.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, identifying reasons for self-employment and its disadvantages. However, the response is significantly under-length at 138 words, failing to meet the 250-word minimum requirement. Consequently, the ideas are not sufficiently developed or supported with detailed examples. While the points raised are relevant, the lack of expansion and the failure to meet the length constraint mean the response only partially addresses the task requirements. To improve, you must expand each point with specific examples, personal anecdotes, or logical consequences to reach the required word count.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into a single paragraph, which makes it difficult to follow the progression of ideas. While some cohesive devices like 'Moreover' and 'In contrast' are used, the lack of clear paragraphing between the two distinct parts of the prompt (reasons vs. disadvantages) hinders the overall flow. To improve, you should structure your essay into at least four paragraphs: an introduction, two body paragraphs (one for each question), and a conclusion. This will help the reader navigate your arguments more effectively and demonstrate a clearer logical progression.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary used is generally appropriate for the topic, with terms like 'self-employed', 'fluctuate', and 'professional work routine'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a reliance on basic phrasing. There are also minor errors, such as 'In current scenario', which should be 'In the current scenario'. To achieve a higher band score, you should aim to incorporate more precise, topic-specific vocabulary and collocations, such as 'entrepreneurial ventures' or 'financial instability', and ensure articles are used correctly to improve the naturalness of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as the repetition 'has has' and the missing article in 'employees life' (should be 'employees' lives'). Additionally, some sentences are fragments or lack proper subject-verb agreement. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors and the limited variety of complex structures prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for basic errors like missing apostrophes and articles, as well as practicing more varied sentence patterns, will help improve your accuracy and range.

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