Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-18

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)

Nowadays many people choose to be self-employed, rather than to work for a company or organisation. Many people prefer with self-employment. Thus discussed in this essay.

In today's era, many people believe that self-emplyed is better than working in an organisation. It's because of work load. Many company demand the employees to work extra for them without any pay. This is the primary reason for example, A manager from Amazon filed an case against Amazon. The case illustrate that CEO of Amazon tells employee to work extra hours without any wages. After, few months Manager resigned from that organization and started his own business. Also, many people shared their experience about self-employed work, which attracts the worker of an organizations.

Eventually, there are some disadvantages of being self-worker. Firstly, poor approval rate of loan. Additionally, business is not guarantee for profit. Moreover, they don't have the payslip which is the major disadvantage among all other. However, business can be done with partnership which reduces the burden of the business goal.

I personally accept that, business is far better than a part of any company beacuse business is yours and you are not a staff you are the owner. You not have to work under any person.

In conclusion, nowadays many people choose to be self-employed, rather than to work for a company or organisation. Self-earning is best as compare to worker and you are not monitored by someone in business unless you are working with any trust.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, discussing reasons for self-employment and its disadvantages. However, the development is limited. The example regarding Amazon is anecdotal and lacks sufficient detail to fully support the argument. Furthermore, the essay falls slightly short of the 250-word minimum requirement, which negatively impacts the overall task achievement. The position is clear, but the arguments are somewhat repetitive and lack the depth required for a higher band score. To improve, you should expand on your points with more detailed explanations and ensure you meet the minimum word count to avoid a penalty.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, 'Thus discussed in this essay' is an awkward opening, and 'After, few months' is grammatically incorrect and disrupts the flow. While there is a logical progression from reasons to disadvantages, the transitions between sentences are sometimes abrupt. The referencing is occasionally unclear, and the overall structure feels somewhat disjointed. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that your sentences flow naturally into one another.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally basic and repetitive. You frequently use the same terms, such as 'people', 'business', and 'organisation'. There are also several word-choice errors, such as 'self-emplyed' (spelling), 'self-worker', and 'self-earning', which are not standard English collocations. While the meaning is generally conveyed, the lack of precision and the limited range of vocabulary restrict the score. To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated synonyms and topic-specific terminology, such as 'entrepreneurship', 'financial instability', or 'autonomy', and pay closer attention to correct spelling and word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are issues with article usage ('a case', 'the CEO'), subject-verb agreement ('Many company demand'), and sentence structure ('You not have to work'). The range of structures is limited, consisting mostly of simple sentences. There are few attempts at complex sentences, and when they are used, they often contain errors. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, specifically subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles. Additionally, practice combining simple sentences into complex ones using subordinating conjunctions to demonstrate a wider grammatical range.

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

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