Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-14
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)
In recent years many individuals have choose to do a business instead of working in any company. This is might be because of slow income growth, but there are some disadvantages in self-employed, which is people have to take a risk.
People prefer to do a business instead of being employed in a company due to slow income growth. This is to say that many companies offer low salary to their employee, specially beginners. Organisation provides promotion to worker after at least 4 to 5 years and with only 9% to 15% growth. If a person do work in their business for the same years then person would get the higher returns compared to employed. For example, many IT companies offer max 17% increase every year to their employees.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, reaching only 129 words. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed. While the essay attempts to explain why people choose self-employment (slow income growth) and mentions a disadvantage (risk), the development is severely limited. The ideas are not fully extended, and the response lacks a conclusion or a balanced discussion of the disadvantages, which were requested by the prompt. To improve, you must expand on your points with more detailed explanations and examples to reach the required length.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is organized into short paragraphs, but the progression of ideas is hindered by the brevity of the text. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'This is to say that' and 'For example,' but the overall structure feels disjointed due to the lack of a clear introduction and conclusion. The referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the phrase 'disadvantages in self-employed,' which lacks a proper noun or subject. To improve, ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and that you use a wider variety of linking words to connect your ideas more fluidly.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'do a business' are unnatural; 'run a business' or 'become self-employed' would be more appropriate. There are also errors in word form, such as 'disadvantages in self-employed' instead of 'disadvantages of self-employment.' The range of vocabulary is limited, which restricts your ability to express complex ideas clearly. To achieve a higher band, focus on learning collocations related to business and employment and try to use more precise terminology rather than relying on simple, repetitive phrasing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include 'many individuals have choose' (should be 'chosen'), 'This is might be' (should be 'This might be'), and 'If a person do work' (should be 'does work'). The sentence structures are relatively simple, and the errors in verb tense and subject-verb agreement are noticeable. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors impacts the overall quality of the writing. Focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common tense and agreement mistakes.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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