Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-07
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)
From my perspective, both the views are accurate in their own ways.Well in today's era many people choose to be self - employed rather than to work for company or organisation. The major factor complying the situation is companies are in lack of growth and unable to pay the enough salary to their employees to meet their requirements, this built a lack of confidence and expectations. Therefore many people are selecting to be self employed. For instance, owning their businesses, and many more.
The disadvantage of being self - employed is losing interaction and connection with professional environment. Apart from the salary we get ,there are many things we learn , we understand , interaction, communication, team work, leadership. All these skills are relevant and is important for growth in industry. For instance, my cousin was worked in IT hub for the past few years now he was self- employed with his own business. Well , the decision would provide him with the better growth but he lacks the professional environment where he used to work before. As the salary in companies will issue monthly many people cannot afford much and had to wait over the month.
Many people think if they are self-employed they will be earning daily and meeting their daily requirements. It depends on the person and their lifestyle to choose between the company and self-employment. Many people work in company for years for their careers and growth. One difference is ,the growth in company doesn't happen immediately it requires challenging hard work to get better position with expected salary, whereas in self-employment it's upon the people's ability and hardwork to earn money daily.
Therefore, I conclude that both the situations have their own advantages and disadvantages. It completely depends on a person where to choose and grow.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt, but the development is inconsistent. While you identify reasons for self-employment (lack of growth in companies) and disadvantages (loss of professional environment), the arguments are somewhat repetitive and lack depth. For instance, the discussion on salary and 'daily earnings' is circular and does not fully explore the complexities of the topic. The introduction is slightly confusing as it refers to 'both the views' when the prompt asks for reasons and disadvantages rather than a debate between two opposing viewpoints. To improve, ensure each paragraph focuses on a single, well-supported idea with clear examples.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical flow between sentences is often disjointed. Transitions are sometimes misused or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'Well' and 'For instance' to start sentences. The referencing is occasionally unclear; for example, 'the situation' in the first paragraph is vague. While there is an attempt to use cohesive devices, they are often mechanical or inaccurate, which hinders the smooth progression of ideas. Improving the use of linking words like 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'conversely' would help create a more professional and coherent structure.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. You rely on basic phrasing, such as 'many people' and 'good growth', which are repeated throughout the text. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'complying the situation' and 'companies are in lack of growth'. To achieve a higher score, you should aim to use more sophisticated vocabulary and idiomatic expressions related to the workplace, such as 'career progression', 'financial stability', or 'professional development', while ensuring they are used in the correct context.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally impede readability. Examples include 'my cousin was worked in IT hub' (incorrect passive voice) and 'the salary in companies will issue monthly' (incorrect verb usage). There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and missing articles. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors suggests a lack of control over more complex grammatical forms. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for tense consistency would significantly improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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