Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

At the present time, everyone has been more interested in running their own businesses and trading instead of working as an employee for a company or a boss. According to my preference, I see more advantage in having your own business.

On the one hand, much more benefit can be seen in starting up a business yourself and managing it as it can be seen in this generation these days, where young generation is more practical and intelligent, who don't want to be answerable for all their work to other people who usually don't even value the efforts. Other than that, it has been noticed that people who start up their own businesses grow much faster and experience new things then people who work for an organization.

On the other hand, e.g. individuals have to face the consequences of loss alone and heavily in their own startups. Moreover, a huge sum of money is needed for this and they take a loan for that, which later can also be a problem for them as they have to pay it back on time.

From my perspective, it is totally not a bad idea to own something of your own. If something has a drawback, it surely has a positive outcome as well.

In conclusion, there is no harm in doing what you like and want to do but there are a few things to be well aware of, for example, If someone wants to be self-employed, the individual should have complete knowledge about it before their startup. Next, should know how to manage everything and always start from small.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for self-employment and the disadvantages. However, the development is quite limited. The reasons provided (autonomy and growth) are somewhat superficial and lack specific examples or detailed explanation. The disadvantages are mentioned briefly, focusing on financial risk, but the argument lacks depth. The position is clear, but the overall response feels underdeveloped, as it relies on generalisations rather than fully exploring the complexities of the topic. To improve, you should expand on your points with concrete examples or more nuanced analysis to meet the requirements for a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', 'Moreover'). Some transitions are awkward, such as 'According to my preference' to introduce a thesis statement, which does not fit the academic tone. The progression of ideas is logical, but the internal flow within paragraphs could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and better referencing to connect sentences more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on common, everyday language (e.g., 'bad idea', 'start up', 'huge sum of money'). There are some inaccuracies in collocation and word choice, such as 'trading instead of working' and 'consequences of loss alone and heavily'. To achieve a higher score, you should aim to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to business, finance, and employment, and work on using more precise academic collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Examples include 'everyone has been more interested' (tense usage), 'young generation is more practical' (missing article), and 'experience new things then people' (incorrect comparative 'than'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage in complex sentences. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors suggests a need for more careful proofreading and a better grasp of sentence construction and article usage.

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