Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

In the recent years, an increasing number of people have chosen to become self employed instead of working for a company or any type of organization. This trend has grown because people want more freedom and better financial opportunities. However, despite its disadvantages, self employment also has several drawbacks.

One of the main reasons people prefer self employment is the flexibility it provides. Self employed individuals can decide their own working hours and choose the projects they want to complete. This allows them to maintain a better work life balance and spend more time with their families. Another important opportunity is to earn a higher income. Unlike salaried employees, business owners and freelancers are not limited to a fixed monthly salary. If their business performs well, they can make a much greater profit. In addition, many people enjoy being their own boss because they can make independent decisions without following strict company rules or being supervised by managers.

Despite these benefits, self employment has several disadvantages. Firstly, it often brings financial uncertanity. A self employed person may not recieve a regular monthly income, especially during difficult economical periods or when there are not enough customers. This can create stress and make it difficult to plan future expenses. Secondly, self employed people usually work longer hours than office employees because they are responsible for every aspect of their business.

In conclusion, many people choose self employment because it offers greater independence, flexibility, and the possibility of higher earnings. Nevertheless, it also involves financial risks, longer working hours and fewer employment benefits.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing clear reasons for the rise in self-employment and identifying relevant disadvantages. The ideas are well-developed and logically structured. For instance, the discussion on flexibility and financial potential in the second paragraph is balanced by the mention of financial uncertainty and longer working hours in the third. The position is clear throughout, and the response maintains a consistent focus on the task requirements. To reach a higher band, the student could provide more specific, concrete examples—such as referencing the 'gig economy' or specific industries—to further illustrate the points made.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The progression of ideas is smooth, and the writer makes effective use of cohesive devices such as 'In addition,' 'Despite these benefits,' and 'Firstly.' Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two main aspects of the prompt. While the flow is generally good, some transitions could be more sophisticated to avoid a slightly mechanical feel. Overall, the information is presented in a coherent manner that is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is sufficient for the task and allows for clear communication. The student uses relevant terms such as 'salaried employees,' 'financial uncertainty,' and 'work-life balance.' However, there are some minor spelling errors, such as 'uncertanity' and 'recieve,' and a slight misuse of 'economical' (which refers to cost-effectiveness) instead of 'economic' (which refers to the economy). To improve, the student should aim to incorporate more precise, less common collocations and ensure accuracy in spelling to demonstrate a wider, more flexible range of vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are clear and grammatically sound, such as 'Self employed individuals can decide their own working hours.' There are occasional errors, such as the missing hyphen in 'self-employed' and 'work-life balance,' and the minor error in 'In the recent years' (should be 'In recent years'). Despite these, the errors do not impede communication. To achieve a higher score, the student should aim for more consistent control over complex structures and ensure punctuation, particularly regarding compound adjectives, is accurate.

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