Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-20

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 contemporary society, types of jobs have become increasingly prevalent in society. This essay will examine the reason behind this trend and discuss its drawbacks of being

self-employed.

To commence with, this trend has become increasingly prevalent because people nowadays choose to work independently instead of relying on others. Individuals are more comfortable doing their own business because they think that it would be more profitable for them as they easily generate a hefty amount in a month. However, in companies, fixed amounts are being provided to every staff member, so people have difficulties in managing their house expenses. For example, an individual starts with their small startup by investing a handsome amount in starting their business and put a certain commission on each sale. This makes their business flourish more and become profitable.

However, this trend has several notable drawbacks. The disadvantage is that people invest their whole money in their setup, but it is not necessary that each time they will get benefits. For instance, people get a dramatic loss in

their work, as there is no guarantee that it would give them a revenue, as it purely depends on the luck of a person. Furthermore, another factor is that in working in a company, workers also get health insurance and other incentives, but self-employed person does not get these perks. In addition, if they get admitted, they have to pay from their own pockets, without any insurance.

To sum up, citizens who are doing their own should have enough experience about a market, and there is no constant amount that they will earn at the end of a month, while they will also face severe challenges if they get a loss. Therefore, employed in a reputable company has so many perks and other incentives that benefit their workers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the reasons for the rise in self-employment and the potential disadvantages. The ideas are relevant, such as the desire for higher earnings and the lack of corporate benefits like health insurance. However, the development is somewhat superficial. For instance, the explanation of why self-employment is 'more profitable' relies on a vague example of a 'small startup' and 'commission,' which lacks depth. The conclusion introduces a new point about the need for market experience, which should have been integrated into the body paragraphs. Overall, the response covers the requirements but lacks the depth of analysis expected for a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To commence with,' 'However,' and 'Furthermore,' though some transitions feel a bit mechanical. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the internal structure of the paragraphs could be improved. For example, the second paragraph jumps between the motivation for self-employment and a critique of company salaries, which slightly disrupts the flow. Referencing is generally clear, but the final sentence of the essay is somewhat disconnected from the preceding argument, making the conclusion feel slightly abrupt.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There is some repetition of basic terms like 'people,' 'business,' and 'money.' While the student attempts to use some topic-specific vocabulary such as 'incentives,' 'revenue,' and 'startup,' the usage is sometimes slightly unnatural, such as 'admitted' (likely meaning 'hospitalized') and 'doing their own' (which is grammatically incomplete). The range is sufficient to convey the main points, but the lack of sophisticated collocations and precise terminology limits the score to a 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Examples include 'types of jobs have become increasingly prevalent in society' (vague), 'drawbacks of being self-employed' (the 'its' is redundant), and 'if they get admitted' (incorrect word choice). There are also issues with article usage and prepositional phrases, such as 'in working in a company' and 'employed in a reputable company.' While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band.

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