Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-28

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 today's globalized world, many people opt to choose self-employment rather than to work for a company or organization. In this essay I will discuss both points of view before sharing my opinion.

People nowadays tend to set up their own businesses or trade rather than being a traditional employee for some company such as freelancers, independent contractors and small business holders. The major reason of being self employed is probably because you can set up your own office, working hours and work according to your preferences rather than going to a company on their fixed hours and work 9 to 5 on the daily basis. Being self employed has its own advantages, you don't have to wake up early in the morning, get ready and go to work each morning even when you are not feeling well rather you can hire individuals for own your business and assign work to them based on their skills and just monitor if they are working properly or not rather than being monitored.

In contrast, being self employed means you don't get to enjoy the perks of bonuses, incentives, being paid extra for extra hours etc. Moreover, you have to pay tax directly to the government on your own. Working for a company or organization is beneficial, you get a lot of opportunities to succeed and be a part of large international organizations, you get promotions and earn a lot of money. On the other hand being self employed means you get money directly from customers rather than waiting for the month end to get your salary. While setting your own company one thing should be kept in mind that there would be competitors and you have to work hard in order to compete them and to maintain the reputation of your company.

Nevertheless, there are advantages and disadvantages of both but in my opinion, if you are a skilled person with significant knowledge in your field, you should hire experts and set up your own company, offer something to the country which your competitors don't have to offer, build your name and be one of the most successful businessman.

In conclusion, I would argue that the disadvantages of being self employed do not outweigh its advantages. If you're capable of handling your own business you should go for it rather than working day to night to get a fixed amount of money.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The essay addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for choosing self-employment and the potential disadvantages. The position is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the discussion on disadvantages focuses heavily on the lack of corporate perks and tax responsibilities but lacks depth regarding the psychological or financial risks involved in entrepreneurship. While the response is relevant, it tends to over-generalize, and some points, such as the comparison between being monitored and monitoring others, are repetitive. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific examples or nuanced analysis of the challenges faced by self-employed individuals.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'In contrast', 'Moreover', and 'Nevertheless', to link your points. However, some transitions feel mechanical or slightly forced. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence '...monitor if they are working properly or not rather than being monitored', where the subject of the comparison is slightly ambiguous. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but the internal flow within paragraphs could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence builds more naturally upon the previous one.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'globalized', 'independent contractors', and 'competitors'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a reliance on simpler phrasing. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'opt to choose' (redundant) and 'compete them' (should be 'compete with them'). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and avoid repeating basic words like 'work' or 'money'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, some contain grammatical errors, such as 'The major reason of being self employed is probably because...' (should be 'The major reason for being self-employed is...'). There are also issues with punctuation, specifically comma splices, such as 'Being self employed has its own advantages, you don't have to wake up early...'. These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. Increasing your control over complex sentence structures and punctuation will help improve your score.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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