Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-04
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 6.0)
Nowadays many people don't want to work under another people or they don't like to work for a company and organization and they choose to be self employed .Many people prefer self employment because it gives them greater freedom ,flexible working hour and the opportunity to earn money .
Job holder will often get worried about their work and they can't get leave easily .They become bored of their daily job schedule and they couldn't enjoy their life as they want . Furthermore, some companies do not provide their employees enough freedom to make decisions .Thats why people prefer self employment rather than to work for company .
On the other hand ,there are some drawbacks of self employment .Self employed people do not have source of regular income like that of job holders .In addition to this, if they bear some loss all the fault come under them and they should alone solve that problem without any managers or workers .For example ,if one person starts his own business of clothes and shoes .Someday, if his business do not run or he might be in loss ,he can't do anything except to bear that loss by himself.
In conclusion ,while there are some drawbacks of being self employed its advantages outweigh its disadvantages. While being self employed is a major problem because one cannot earn money in regular basis ,but they can be satisfied with their work and can enjoy their freedom .Furthermore they can live their life on their own way without having stress of going to same job and office everyday .
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for choosing self-employment and the potential disadvantages. The ideas are relevant, such as the desire for freedom and the lack of a regular income. However, the development is somewhat basic. For instance, the discussion on disadvantages could be more nuanced by exploring the psychological burden or the lack of benefits like health insurance. The position is clear throughout, but the supporting arguments lack depth and specific, sophisticated examples, which limits the score to a 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Furthermore', 'On the other hand', and 'In addition to this'. However, some transitions feel mechanical or slightly repetitive. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the transition between the employee's perspective and the decision-making process could be smoother. Overall, the progression of ideas is coherent, but the management of cohesion is not yet flexible enough for a higher band.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There is a reliance on simple phrasing, such as 'get worried', 'bear some loss', and 'do not run'. While the meaning is clear, there is little evidence of less common lexical items or idiomatic language. Some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'job holder' instead of 'employee' or 'on regular basis' instead of 'on a regular basis'. To improve, you should aim to incorporate more topic-specific collocations and academic vocabulary.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation. Examples include 'work under another people' (should be 'other people'), 'flexible working hour' (should be 'hours'), and 'if one person starts his own business... Someday, if his business do not run' (subject-verb agreement error). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before commas. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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