Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
As the demands for human beings increase day by day, professionals focus on self-employment rather than on working in an organization. Self-employment may give liberty to persons, but at the same time their pay also increases due to the increase of income, but what are the causes and disadvantages of being self-employed? It depends upon the conditions around them.
On the one hand, every person wants freedom, whether in making decisions or in earning, and does not want to work for any boss or in an organization. Mostly in organizations, employees face many issues regarding their pay as well as incentives. The leg-pulling and back-biting culture in some companies pushes back the real and honest worker, and some employees who flatter their superiors gain promotions and incentives. Additionally, this is not a one-day or one-month behavior an employee faces of discouragement but a long-time pushback, which creates a way to choose the self-employed path and work online from home or anywhere they want.
Furthermore, a self-employed person is free to work, and there is no fixed schedule, but every act has a price, and the self-employed person pays the price in the form of sleepless nights, no fixed daily time, and health issues. As online work has no fixed time, maybe employees send you texts late at night to fix any issue that sometimes takes a minor but mostly disturbs the employee's night routine. Sleepless nights create many health issues in the form of high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, etc.
In conclusion, self-employment gives liberty to individuals and financial rewards, but it needs proper planning to maintain work-life balance and good health. For this, employees should maintain a balance between their work and personal life.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| 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 disadvantages involved. The ideas are relevant, focusing on autonomy and workplace culture as drivers, and health/work-life balance as drawbacks. However, the development is somewhat limited. The introduction is slightly confusing, as it poses the prompt's questions back to the reader rather than stating a clear position. While the main body paragraphs provide logical points, the explanation of 'leg-pulling' and 'flattery' could be more formal. The conclusion is brief and lacks a strong summary of the main arguments. To reach a higher band, ensure the introduction clearly outlines your stance and expand on the implications of your points with more specific examples.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. The referencing is generally clear, though the flow between sentences in the first paragraph is a bit disjointed due to the phrasing of the opening questions. The progression of ideas is logical, but the internal structure of the paragraphs could be strengthened by using a wider variety of linking words to connect supporting details more fluidly.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary such as 'incentives', 'autonomy' (implied), and 'work-life balance'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and some phrasing is slightly informal or awkward, such as 'leg-pulling' and 'back-biting culture'. These terms are colloquial and less suitable for an academic essay. There are no significant spelling errors, but the overall lexical variety is restricted to common words. To improve, incorporate more precise academic collocations and avoid informal idioms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is an attempt at complex sentences, such as 'As the demands for human beings increase day by day...', though some structures are slightly clunky. There are occasional grammatical errors, such as 'behavior an employee faces of discouragement' and 'maybe employees send you texts', which slightly affect the natural flow. Punctuation is generally functional, but some sentences are overly long and could be punctuated more effectively for clarity. The majority of the content is understandable, and errors do not impede communication, but more consistent control over complex structures is needed for a higher score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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