Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-26
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 6.5)
In recent times, many people prefer to be self-employed, rather than working for an enterprise. One major reason behind this trend is that some individuals prefer flexibilty, which many corporate organisations do not offer.The main demerit of being self-employed is that some individuals are not responsible and knowledgeable to run a business effectively.
To begin with, owning an organisation gives business owners autonomy and ensures a flexible work schedule. This means that entrepreneurs can choose to run their business according to their will without seeking permission from their superiors or boss. Also, it allow them to have adequate time for other activities and pursue their interests due to a flexible work schedule. For example, business owners can easily make decisions such as restocking more goods and increasing workers salaries without consulting anyone.
One of the downsides of being self-employed is that, running a business comes with a lot of responsibilities and dedication. If a business owner is not investing right, monitoring the organisation and making reasonable decisions to foster the company's growth consequently, the business is at a high risk of crashing and running into debts. To illustrate, many small businesses in Lagos, Nigeria have crashed because the owners failed to monitor their business efficiently.
In conclusion, people choose to be self employed because it allows them to have a good work life balances, ensure they have time to pursue other activities and improve their quality of life. The negative impact of this trend is that some business owners do not have adequate knowledge to make strategic decisions that will support the growth of their business. Hence, the business fails.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for self-employment and the potential disadvantages. The ideas are relevant, such as the desire for autonomy and the risks of poor management. However, the development is somewhat limited. The explanation regarding why people choose self-employment is clear, but the discussion on disadvantages is slightly repetitive and could benefit from more depth. For instance, the point about 'not being responsible' is a bit vague. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is fully extended with more nuanced analysis rather than just stating the obvious. Overall, the position is clear and maintained throughout the essay.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two main ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Also', 'For example', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For example, the transition from the introduction to the first body paragraph is functional but lacks sophistication. The referencing is generally clear, though the connection between the ideas in the second body paragraph could be tightened to improve the overall progression of the argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task and allows for clear communication. You use some topic-specific terms like 'autonomy', 'entrepreneurs', and 'strategic decisions'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a tendency to repeat basic words like 'business' and 'organisation'. There are also minor issues with word choice, such as 'not responsible and knowledgeable to run a business', which is slightly awkward phrasing. To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations and a wider variety of academic vocabulary to express your ideas with greater sophistication and precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For example, 'it allow them' should be 'it allows them', and 'work life balances' should be 'work-life balance'. Additionally, there are some punctuation errors, such as missing spaces after periods. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Increasing the variety of complex structures and ensuring subject-verb agreement will help improve your accuracy and range.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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