Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-11
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 5.0)
Nowadays many people choose to be self-employed instead of working for a company. There are several reasons for this choice, However being self employed has some disadvantages.
One of the main reason of freedom it provide. Self employed can choose their working hours and make their own decision. They do not follow strict rules. They are not follow their timetable. Some people are self dependent because they are not being for job. Job are not easy process. Self employed individual can decide when and where they work. Which can also help them achieve a better work life balance. Thy are also choose the type of work they do not and make their own decision without having follow instructions form a manger.
Another important reasons is potential to earn more money. Although in come is not guaranteed, successful. They would a traditional job.
Despite these benefits being self employed can be challenging. The most obvious disadvantage is financial insecurity. Unlike employee who usually receive salary self employed people may have unpredictable income. They may also deal with the period. in addition a self employed worker are generally responsible for every aspect of business expenses.
in conclusion, people encreasingly choose seld emppoyed because it offers independent , flexibility and responsibility for higher earning. self employed can be highly re
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses both parts of the prompt, discussing reasons for self-employment and its disadvantages. However, the ideas are underdeveloped and lack sufficient supporting detail or examples. The essay is also significantly under the 250-word minimum requirement, which negatively impacts the development of the response. The conclusion is incomplete, cutting off mid-sentence, which further limits the overall task completion. To improve, you should expand on your points with specific examples and ensure you meet the minimum word count to allow for a full exploration of the topic.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the progression of ideas is often disjointed due to grammatical errors and awkward phrasing. While some cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'Another important reasons', 'Despite these benefits'), they are sometimes used incorrectly or are repetitive. The referencing is occasionally unclear, and the lack of a completed conclusion disrupts the overall flow of the argument. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear, unified focus would enhance the coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally limited and repetitive. You rely on basic terms like 'job' and 'work' throughout the text. There are also several spelling errors, such as 'encreasingly', 'seld emppoyed', and 'in come'. While the meaning is usually clear, the range of vocabulary is not sufficient to demonstrate the flexibility required for higher bands. You should focus on learning topic-specific collocations related to employment and business to improve your precision and range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede readability. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'Self employed can choose', 'a self employed worker are'), incorrect word forms (e.g., 'They are not follow'), and missing articles. The sentence structures are mostly simple, with few successful attempts at complex sentences. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with capitalisation and sentence boundaries. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like subject-verb agreement and pluralisation.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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