Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-07

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 contemporary world, this is the view of many people that owning a business is better than being an employee for any company or organization. The main reason is flexible working hours and sense of authority, which make self-employment more appealing than working under a boss. However, it comes with financial uncertainity and great responsibility, which eventually results in high-level of stress and anxiety.

One of the main causes of higher number of people who are inclined towards entreprenuership is the choice to work independantly at any time. Most human beings do not want to work in the morning, others think that work at night is not good for health. So, to eradicate this problem individuals are becoming sole traders instead of working for fixed hours in any institution. Meanwhile, a lot of people agree that ownership means one has the power to make rules and regulations according to his/her choice. This autonomy creates the sense of control and increase productivity among them. For example, many freelancer work at night and make more money as compare to daily-wagers.

On the other hand, it is important to note that being an owner of a company means you are responsible for the company's loss. There is no fixed monthly salary to manage the living expenditures. If company is going through a crisis, all the burden is put on the founder. So, in independent profession, there is no sense of security that business will always bring profit. Besides, one has to find costumers in order to sell goods or to provide services. Sometimes, start-up founder might end up working for long hours than salaried person. Therefore, it leads to stress and depression. For instance, A shop owner may earn a high income during holiday seasons but struggle financially during quieter months.

To conclude the discussion, it is evident that self-employment has many advantages in term of greater independence; however, this career path often come with more responsibility and unpredictable income, making it unsuitable for everyone.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for the rise in self-employment and the associated disadvantages. The position is clear from the introduction and maintained throughout. Ideas are relevant and supported with examples, such as the mention of freelancers and shop owners. However, some points could be developed further; for instance, the discussion on 'financial uncertainty' is a bit brief. Overall, the response is well-structured and covers all requirements of the task effectively, demonstrating a clear understanding of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central topic, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Meanwhile', 'On the other hand', and 'To conclude' are used effectively to link sentences and paragraphs. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions could be more sophisticated to reach a higher band. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the overall structure supports the development of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally appropriate for the task, with some good topic-specific terms like 'entrepreneurship', 'autonomy', 'financial uncertainty', and 'expenditures'. There are some minor spelling errors, such as 'uncertainity', 'entreprenuership', 'independantly', and 'costumers'. While the range is sufficient to convey meaning clearly, the use of less common lexical items is somewhat limited. Improving the precision of word choice and ensuring accurate spelling would help elevate the score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is a good attempt at using complex sentences, though some minor errors persist, such as 'many freelancer work' (should be 'freelancers') and 'as compare to' (should be 'compared to'). Subject-verb agreement and article usage are generally accurate, though there are occasional slips. The punctuation is mostly correct, and the errors present do not impede communication. To improve, focus on ensuring consistent pluralization and refining comparative structures.

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