Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-17

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 my opinion, this is happening everywhere now. A few years ago everyone wanted a good job in a big company, but now a lot of people I know want to be their own boss.

I think there are a couple of clear reasons for it . The main one is freedom. When you work for a company, you have to follow their rules - fixed timing, same office, same boss telling you what to do everyday. If you are self self-employed, you control your own time. For example, my cousin is a freelance video editor. He works from home in Karachi, he can take a day off when he wants, and he only takes the projects he likes. That kind of work-life balance is impossible in a normal job.

The second reason is technology. It has become so easy to start something on your own. You don't need a big shop or office anymore. If you can cook, you can sell food on Foodpanda. If you know English, you can teach online or work on Upwork and Fiverr. So people feel like,e, why should i work for 60,000 rupees for a company when I can earn double on my own?

There are certain disadvantages like you have no support. In a company you get sick leave, health insurance, and someone else handles the accounts. When you work for yourself, you have to do everything yourself - finding customers, marketing, handling payments. It is very stressful. If you get sick, you don't get paid.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying reasons for the rise in self-employment (freedom and technology) and discussing the disadvantages (lack of support and financial instability). The ideas are relevant and supported by personal examples, such as the cousin working as a video editor. However, the development is somewhat brief, and the essay lacks a formal introduction and conclusion, which limits the depth of the argument. To reach a higher band, you should aim to expand on your points with more analytical depth and ensure the essay follows a standard academic structure with a clear thesis statement and a summary of the main points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is coherent and follows a logical progression. Paragraphing is used to separate the reasons from the disadvantages, which helps the reader follow the argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat basic and repetitive. For instance, the transition between ideas relies heavily on simple phrases like 'The main one is' and 'The second reason is'. To improve, you should incorporate a wider range of linking words and transition phrases (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'on the other hand') to improve the flow and connectivity between sentences and paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You use common, everyday language such as 'good job', 'big company', and 'easy to start'. While these are accurate, they do not demonstrate a sophisticated command of English. There are also minor errors, such as the repetition of 'self self-employed' and the typo 'like,e,'. To improve, try to use more academic collocations and less common vocabulary related to the topic of employment and entrepreneurship to show a more flexible range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors and punctuation slips, such as 'fixed timing' (which should be 'fixed hours') and the informal use of 'everyday' as an adverb (should be 'every day'). The sentence structure is functional but lacks the variety of complex, error-free sentences needed for a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and refining the use of complex sentence structures will help improve your accuracy and range.

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

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