Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-01
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)
It is an undeniable fact that lots of people have decided to work for their own choices. Many people believe that they decide to be self- worked, rather than to work with company and other business. This essay will discuss the reasons of self- employed and give some advantages and disadvantages of self-worked in the following paragraphs.
On the one hand, there many noticeable reasons why some people decide to be self- employed. First and foremost reason is that people can easily work with their own convince and time . As a result , this time can be used for other activities. The second considerable reason is that people save time and reduce pollution in the atmosphere. For example , people do not use of their private vehicles for work .
On the other hand , there are many considerable drawbacks of self-employed . The first and foremost substantial disadvantage is that people do not connect with other culture and language. As a consequence , people can not develop their critical thinking. Last but not least , people can usually reduce their interaction because they do not communicate with other people . For instance , in the big company , lot of people with different culture . So , many people can learn new things with their communication and interaction.
To sum up, it can be concluded form the above discussion that self- employed have their own advantages .However ,they have lot of disadvantage such lack of interaction ,communication and flexibility.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt, identifying reasons for self-employment and discussing disadvantages. However, the development of ideas is limited. For instance, the point about 'reducing pollution' is mentioned but not clearly linked to the nature of self-employment itself. The arguments regarding cultural interaction are somewhat repetitive and lack depth. The conclusion incorrectly summarizes the essay by stating that self-employment has 'flexibility' as a disadvantage, which contradicts the earlier point about working at one's own convenience. To reach a higher band, you need to provide more detailed explanations and ensure your arguments are logically consistent throughout the essay.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, 'First and foremost reason' is missing an article, and the transition 'To sum up, it can be concluded form the above discussion' is a standard template that feels disconnected from the actual content. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the phrase 'self-employed have their own advantages', where the noun is used as a plural subject. Improving the variety and accuracy of linking words will help the flow of your ideas.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally limited and repetitive. You frequently use the term 'self-employed' as a noun (e.g., 'reasons of self-employed'), which is grammatically incorrect; it should be used as an adjective or with a noun like 'self-employment'. There are also issues with word choice, such as 'self-worked', which is not standard English. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the basic meaning, it lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You should focus on learning collocations and using more academic terminology to express your ideas more effectively.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are consistent issues with articles (e.g., 'in the big company'), subject-verb agreement, and word formation (e.g., 'work with their own convince' instead of 'convenience'). Sentence structures are mostly simple, with limited attempts at complex sentences. When complex structures are attempted, they often contain errors, such as 'Many people believe that they decide to be self-worked'. To improve, you should focus on basic sentence construction, correct use of parts of speech, and proofreading for common errors like missing articles and incorrect verb forms.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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