Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
It is undeniable that in this modern era, many people are understanding the importance of own business. In this regards, it is believed that many people prefer self employed instead of working for a company or organization. This essay will outline not only the reasons of this notion but also some disadvantages which will be highlighted in forthcoming fragments with a logical conclusion.
To commence with, there are several reasons due which preference of many is towards self-employment. The prime one is that, they has no one on their head to order them. To explain it, while a person is owner of business so he had no one who will order him and not have to follow any instructions. Moreover, they do not have any stress of working of long hours and can confidently concrete properly on the work they do even for a short time as it is said that work for long time with less concentration is less worthy than less work done with more concentration. As a result, it can offer more growth to a company and also the potential to grow constantly. Another striking, their is no fixed salary. To elaborate it, one have no fixed amount of salary as it can vary on the, How much work a person is doing? and also on techniques a person applying. For example, the more intelligent a person is the more money he will earn .
However, there are few drawbacks of self employment. Firstly, there will also a risk factor. To clarify it, when a person is starting a business their will be a large investment which go to void if the business got failed due to any reason. Another prominent, people always have a stress on their mind of their business. To write more. while running a large business there will always a stress on owners mind which can lead to depression and also to death in some worse cases. As a result, it is not easy to run a business as it requires lots of skills.
To conclude, there are many positive outcomes of this notion such as they has no one on their head, their is no fixed salary yet some drawbacks can also not be ignored at any cost.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for choosing self-employment and the potential disadvantages. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the argument regarding 'no one on their head' is repetitive and lacks depth. The explanation of the risk factor is also quite basic. While the position is clear, the ideas are not fully extended or supported with sophisticated reasoning. To reach a higher band, you should provide more concrete examples or nuanced analysis rather than relying on general statements about stress or salary. The conclusion is also quite brief and merely restates the points without adding finality.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. Phrases like 'To commence with', 'To explain it', and 'To write more' are used in a formulaic way that does not always flow naturally. Additionally, there are issues with referencing; for example, 'Another striking, their is no fixed salary' is grammatically disjointed and lacks a clear link to the previous sentence. The progression of ideas is generally logical, but the transitions between sentences could be smoother and more varied.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'concrete properly' (instead of 'concentrate'), 'go to void' (instead of 'be lost' or 'be wasted'), and 'on their head' (which is informal and idiomatic in a way that does not fit an academic essay). You rely on simple, repetitive vocabulary like 'stress' and 'business'. To improve, you should focus on using more academic collocations and precise terminology related to employment and finance.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('they has', 'one have'), incorrect use of articles, and misuse of homophones ('their' instead of 'there'). Sentence structures are mostly simple or contain errors when attempting complexity. For example, 'How much work a person is doing? and also on techniques a person applying' is not a well-formed sentence. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of basic errors in grammar and punctuation prevents the essay from reaching a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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