Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-13

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)

Many individuals choose to be self-employed rather than work for a company or organisation since it has a lot of advantage such as time management, no tax involved and no employers present. Nevertheless, some disadvantages are mainly due to money and lack of connections.

Nowadays, a lot of people choose to be self employed instead of working in a company or organisation since it has many benefits including the ability to spend time wisely and no taxes reduced. First of all, self-employed individuals can start and finish their work anytime they want. Also, they can have increased number of profits since there is no tax reduced, moreover, there is no employer present, so that they will not be pressured or anxious in doing their task. As a result, they will have a comfortable and profitable working environment.

A good example here would be online sellers, they are very common nowadays. Most of them are home-based and they can sell their products any time of the day, by posting online in any social media platforms and websites. Consequently, they will not suffer stressful events such as being early at work and experiencing traffic congestions just to be on time.

The primary drawback on being self employed would be the expenses, since personal savings are used to start a business. In addition, the lack of connection to famous companies, wherein there are no enough consumers or clients since it is a small or starting business, where most customers will be relatives and closed friends only.

In conclusion, many people choose to be self-employed since they can have the freedom to spend their time wisely and there is less stress compared to working in a company or organisation.

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 somewhat superficial. The claim that self-employed individuals pay 'no tax' is factually incorrect and represents a significant misunderstanding of the topic, which limits the quality of the argument. While the example of online sellers is relevant, the explanation of disadvantages is brief and lacks depth. To reach a higher band, you should provide more nuanced reasons and ensure that your arguments are based on accurate premises rather than misconceptions about tax laws.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'Also', 'Consequently', and 'In conclusion'. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel repetitive. The introduction is slightly redundant, as the first paragraph essentially repeats the prompt and then the second paragraph repeats the same points again. Improving the logical progression between sentences and avoiding unnecessary repetition would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate to convey your meaning, but it lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic phrasing such as 'a lot of advantage' and 'stressful events'. There are also some inaccuracies in collocation, such as 'no taxes reduced' and 'increased number of profits'. To improve, you should aim to use more sophisticated vocabulary and collocations related to business and employment, such as 'financial autonomy', 'overhead costs', or 'market volatility', rather than relying on simple, repetitive descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'no tax involved', 'no enough consumers', and 'on being self employed'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma splices in the second paragraph. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage will help you achieve greater accuracy in your writing.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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