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 world people prefer to work on their own without getting order from other people. In this regards, many masses choose to be self-employed rather than to work for a company or organization. This essay will outline not only the reasons but also some disadvantages of this notion in forthcoming fragments with a logical conclusion.

To commence with, people as professionals and skilled individuals have abilities that they can make money by their forte. First and foremost, there might be opportunities for individuals such as a doctor, an artist, and other skilled persons to access markets that need their skills. Internet assistance, for example, can connect people who need to design logos with a freelance designer in the online market. Secondly, it is cheaper for the public to their services than buy a company. A self-employed person may not charge any fees out of their wages. It is far more affordable than people but a company service. Furthermore, self-employed do their jobs passionately. As a result, there might be an increase in the quality of services.

However, self-employed might face unsuitable jobs and income. The prime one is that, they might depend on their reputation to get customers. Therefore, a lack of marketing of their skills or services might decrease their opportunities to get jobs. A graphic designer, for instance, needs to get some good reviews from early customers, so that they can get good and excellent ratings. In addition, being self-employed in the early stage might cause an unstable income. It is important for everyone who decides to become self-employed to prepare for their needs.

To conclude, the development of the technology allows people to easily get a job and better income. There are several drawbacks of this notion such as lack of marketing, unstable jobs and income yet according to me people choose to be self-employed is better and their benefits ought not to be neglected at any cost.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for choosing self-employment and the potential disadvantages. The ideas are relevant, such as the role of technology and the challenge of unstable income. However, the development is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument that self-employed individuals are 'cheaper' is not fully explained or logically sound, as freelancers often charge higher rates than employees. The conclusion is a bit repetitive and lacks a strong summary of the main points. To reach a higher band, you should provide more nuanced explanations and ensure your examples directly support your claims rather than making broad generalizations.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central topic. You use some cohesive devices like 'To commence with', 'Furthermore', and 'However' to signal transitions. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing, such as 'in forthcoming fragments' or 'many masses', which makes the progression feel slightly mechanical. Additionally, some referencing is unclear, such as 'it is far more affordable than people but a company service', where the comparison is confusing. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence logically follows the previous one will help improve the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'self-employed', 'freelance', and 'unstable income'. However, there are several instances of unnatural word choice and collocation errors. For example, 'getting order from other people' should be 'taking orders', and 'many masses' is not a standard collocation. The phrase 'forthcoming fragments' is also inappropriate in this context. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, you need to focus on using more precise, academic collocations and avoiding informal or non-standard phrasing to reach a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'self-employed do their jobs'), missing articles (e.g., 'in early stage'), and awkward sentence construction (e.g., 'people choose to be self-employed is better'). While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar and sentence structure prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and article usage would significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.

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