Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)
Nowadays, some people select to be self-employed,rather than to work for a company or an organization .Today everything is about social media and most of people work online .It gives advantages to all kinds of individuals.Self-employed consist of own business or work.
First of all people choose self-employed because they earn most then the work in company they open their own business and these include run a shop or other profession they also think if people work in company they work according to the order of company manager.They work like a slave .
Secondly,people prefer their own business .According to my experience my uncle worked for a company recently he changed their decision and opened a new tuck shop .So,he earned a massive and enjoy his life with family and friends. He also prefer the self-employed.
On the other hand, there are different disadvantages of being self-employed .The most crucial disadvantage is that a man should be responsible for all of things he face much difficulties in his career such as pay electricity bill and also the rent of shop .For example he work only in organization he not pay dues and not responsible for all of these things.
As conclusion there are different of advantages of self-employed and also have a lot of negative points .Many individuals think this extent in positive way and other in negative way.If person adopt this view in positive form as a result they succeeded in his life and enjoy their life.I will discuss both views of people.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| 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, identifying reasons for self-employment and potential disadvantages. However, the development of ideas is limited and often superficial. For instance, the explanation of why people choose self-employment relies on generalizations like 'they work like a slave' in companies, which lacks academic depth. The conclusion is also problematic as it states 'I will discuss both views of people,' which is an inappropriate meta-commentary that suggests the writer is not fully engaging with the task as a finished piece of writing. The ideas are present but require more detailed explanation and logical support to reach a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is mechanical and sometimes inaccurate. For example, the transition 'As conclusion' is non-standard, and the logical flow between sentences is often disjointed. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the final paragraph where the pronouns 'they' and 'he' are used inconsistently. While there is an overall attempt at a logical arrangement, the lack of sophisticated linking words and the repetitive nature of the sentence structures hinder the flow of the argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is basic and repetitive, often relying on simple phrasing. There are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'earn most then the work' instead of 'earn more than working in a company' and 'earned a massive' instead of 'earned a significant income.' The range of vocabulary is limited to everyday language, and there is little attempt to use less common or topic-specific terminology related to business or employment. To improve, the student should focus on learning collocations and more precise academic vocabulary.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are consistent issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'Self-employed consist of'), article usage, and sentence structure. Many sentences are simple or contain run-on structures. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after commas and incorrect capitalization. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic structures prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. The student needs to focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like verb tense consistency and pluralization.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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