Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-16

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)

In recent years, people prefer self-employment over working for a corporate. There are several reasons for this shift including, financial benefits, self-reliance, and flexible schedule. However, it has a downside as well, such as lack of holidays and job security.

Nowadays, people choose to be self-employed rather than working in a company or organization, as it allows them to learn new skills and work at flexible timings. In addition, they do not depend upon other individuals and can work without any peer's pressure. For example, in an office job, individuals' progress is compared with others, as a result they feel stressed which ultimately affect their productivity. In addition, corporate jobs have a low-income, with a limited percentage of increments annually. However, in a personal work set-up, people generate significant income monthly, that could be increased every month by making more efforts, instead of waiting for a whole year.

Despite of numerous advantages, self-employment has some disadvantages as well. Firstly, there will be no paid leaves, it means people need to work for a whole week, without any holiday. This may cause exhaustion and fatigue, as a result individuals' physical as well as mental well-being can be affected. In addition, There will be a risk of employment loss every time because personal set-up can be impacted by any means. For instance, during COVID19 pandemic, restaurants were closed. Consequently, the restaurant owners have faced a lot of financial issues.

In conclusion, although self-employment enable individuals to generate more income and work at self-pace without any pressure from higher authorities, it has some detrimental effects as well, such as risk of financial loss in any uncertain condition and working for long hours.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for choosing self-employment and the potential disadvantages. The ideas are relevant, such as flexibility and financial control, and the disadvantages, such as lack of paid leave and job insecurity, are clearly identified. However, the development of these points is somewhat superficial. For instance, the argument regarding 'low-income' in corporate jobs is a generalization that could be better supported with more nuanced reasoning. The position is clear throughout, and the response maintains a consistent focus on the topic. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is fully extended with more specific examples or deeper analysis rather than relying on broad statements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. The introduction provides a brief overview, and the body paragraphs follow a logical progression. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In addition', 'For example', and 'Consequently', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, and the use of referencing could be more sophisticated. For example, the phrase 'In addition' is used twice in the second paragraph, which impacts the flow. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that the relationship between sentences is more seamless would enhance the overall coherence of the piece.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary, such as 'self-reliance', 'productivity', and 'financial issues'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are occasional inaccuracies in word choice or collocation, such as 'corporate' used as a noun instead of 'corporation' or 'company', and 'personal work set-up' which is slightly unnatural. To improve, the student should focus on using more precise academic collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing. Expanding the range of vocabulary to include more sophisticated synonyms would help elevate the score.

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 several grammatical errors that persist throughout the text. Examples include 'Despite of' (should be 'Despite' or 'In spite of'), 'individuals' progress' (missing apostrophe placement or phrasing), and 'self-employment enable' (subject-verb agreement error). Additionally, there are minor punctuation issues, such as unnecessary commas after 'including' and 'result'. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher band score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions would be beneficial.

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

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