Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-25
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)
In the present days mostly people choose to be self-employed, rather than to work for a company or organisation. this essay will discuss the reasons why this is happening and the disadvanages that can cause by self-employed.
Nowadays, many people prefer to work as a self-employe because they want a flexible environment in which they will not be answerable to anyone. A person who is owning a business not to strick to follow a working hours, he can work at any time when he feel comfortable. For instance, a person is doing a job he must need to reach office at 9 O'clock. In addition, people work for themself, earn more because they get the direct payments from their customers. As a result. they feel satisfied because they believe we get the whole in return of that we worked than a company who just paid specific salary.
On the other hand, increment in the self-employe system has a negative impact on society. Firstly, it is becoming challanging to find employes who work in a company because a large organisation require alot of people to run it in a smooth way. Furthermore, demands and complains are commonly noticed in present days. Employes want facilities like pick and drop, heath insurance with family. In contrast, they are not willing to work more than average even in seasonal days. For example, on a clothing brand company offer summer sale on items and during this period customers demand become high but employe are not interested to work more without additional salary.
To sum up, many people want to work in self established area where they feel comfortable and can earn more but it is impacting the organisation in a negative way to work properly and offer amenities to their employers.
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 essay addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for self-employment and the disadvantages. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. The first body paragraph provides clear reasons regarding flexibility and income. The second paragraph, while attempting to discuss disadvantages, focuses more on the difficulties companies face in hiring staff rather than the direct disadvantages for the individual who is self-employed. This shift in focus weakens the response. To improve, ensure that the disadvantages discussed are directly related to the challenges of being self-employed, such as financial instability, lack of benefits, or isolation, rather than the impact on external organizations.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear introduction and conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In addition,' 'On the other hand,' and 'Furthermore,' which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'As a result. they feel satisfied.' Additionally, some referencing is unclear; for instance, the phrase 'the disadvanages that can cause by self-employed' is grammatically confusing and impacts the flow. Improving the variety and precision of linking words would help the ideas connect more naturally.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of word-form errors, such as 'self-employe' instead of 'self-employed' and 'challanging' (spelling). Phrases like 'pick and drop' are informal and not ideal for an academic essay. While the meaning is generally clear, the vocabulary is somewhat repetitive and lacks the sophistication required for higher bands. To improve, focus on using more precise academic collocations and ensure correct word forms are used consistently throughout the text.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede readability. Examples include 'mostly people choose' (incorrect adverb placement), 'a person who is owning a business not to strick to follow' (incorrect verb tense and structure), and 'the disadvanages that can cause by self-employed' (passive voice error). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with sentence fragments and comma usage. While the meaning is usually discernible, the high frequency of errors in basic sentence construction prevents a higher score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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