Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-12

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)

Currently, a significant proportion of individuals opt for self-employment over working for a corporate entity or institution. This trend can be related to several factors, including the desire for greater independence and advances in technology. However, self-employment also has a number of drawbacks that should not be overlooked.

One reason why many individuals choose self-employment is the freedom it offers. Unlike traditional employees, self-employed people can often decide their own working hours, select projects they wish to conduct, and make important business choice independently. This flexibility well-recieved by people who value a better life-work balance. Furthermore, expance of the internet makes starting of businesses more easier. For example, graphic designers, programmers, and content creators can now find new clients from around the world without leaving their homes. Another a highly regarded advantage is the possibility to make higher income, rather than salary that fixed by the government.

Despite these benefits, being self employed could show significant challenges. The main problem is that income is not always stable. Unlike employees who usually receive a fixed salary every month, self-employed people may earn less when they have fewer customers. They also have to deal with many responsibilities themselves, such as finding customers, managing money and paying taxes. This can make their work more stressful. For instance, a small business owner may have to work long hours when the business is busy, which can reduce their free time.

In conclusion, although there are lots of advantages like higher income, flexibility for working anywhere and can decide the crucial choices on their own, there are still many considerable drawbacks. It can cause financial uncertainty and extra stress because they have to manage many parts of their work themselves.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying reasons for the rise in self-employment (independence, technology, income potential) and discussing the disadvantages (financial instability, increased responsibility, stress). The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed. However, the development of the disadvantages could be slightly more nuanced to reach a higher band. The position is clear throughout the essay, and the conclusion effectively summarizes the main points. To improve, ensure that each supporting point is fully explored with a concrete example or a deeper explanation of the implications.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'For instance', and 'Despite these benefits' are used effectively to guide the reader. However, there are minor issues with referencing and flow, such as the slightly awkward phrasing in the conclusion ('flexibility for working anywhere and can decide the crucial choices'). Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that the transition between sentences is smoother would help elevate the score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally appropriate and sufficient for the task. The student uses topic-specific terms like 'corporate entity', 'financial uncertainty', and 'self-employed'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'expance of the internet' (should be 'expansion') and 'making starting of businesses more easier' (should be 'making starting a business easier'). While the range is adequate, the use of less common lexical items is somewhat limited. Focusing on more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing would strengthen this area.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'well-recieved' (spelling), 'salary that fixed' (missing verb 'is'), and 'flexibility for working anywhere and can decide' (parallelism error). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, the student should focus on subject-verb agreement, article usage, and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed with grammatical precision. Proofreading for small slips in tense and word form would also be beneficial.

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