Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-10

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 7.0)

The number of people choosing to become self-employed rather than working for a company or organisation has increased significantly in recent years. There are several reasons why this trend has become increasingly common. However, self-employment also has certain disadvantages. Both the reasons and the drawbacks will be discussed in the following paragraphs with valid reasons and appropriate examples.

To begin with, there are numerous reasons why people prefer to work for themselves. The primary and most significant factor is that self-employment provides greater freedom and flexibility. When people run their own businesses, they can decide their working hours, workplace and workload without being controlled by an employer. For example, a person who operates an online business can work from home and arrange their schedule according to their personal needs. Additionally, another contributing factor is the potential for higher earnings. Unlike salaried employees who generally receive a fixed income, business owners can increase their earnings by expanding their businesses and attracting more customers.

On the other hand, there are several disadvantages of being self-employed that cannot be overlooked. One major drawback is financial uncertainty and risk. Setting up a business often requires a substantial amount of money, while there is no guarantee of regular income or profit. For instance, a person who opens a restaurant may spend a large amount of money on rent, equipment and staff but still fail to attract enough customers. Furthermore, self-employed individuals often have greater responsibilities and longer working hours. They have to manage employees, finances, customers and daily operations, which can reduce their free time and negatively affect their work-life balance.

To sum up, people increasingly choose self-employment mainly because it offers greater freedom, flexible working conditions and the possibility of higher earnings. Nevertheless, this choice can involve financial risks and longer working hours, which may create significant pressure and affect people's personal lives.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt clearly. You have identified the reasons for the rise in self-employment, such as flexibility and potential earnings, and provided relevant disadvantages like financial risk and increased responsibility. The ideas are well-developed and supported with logical examples, such as the mention of an online business and a restaurant owner. The position is consistent throughout the essay. To reach a higher band, you could further extend the analysis by discussing the broader societal implications of this shift, such as the impact on the gig economy or traditional corporate structures, which would add more depth to your argument.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central topic sentence, and the progression of ideas is smooth. You use a range of cohesive devices effectively, such as 'To begin with', 'Additionally', 'On the other hand', and 'To sum up'. The referencing is clear, and the paragraphing is appropriate. The flow of information is natural, and the relationship between ideas is easy to follow. There is no evidence of mechanical or repetitive use of linking words, which demonstrates a good level of control.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with precision. Phrases like 'financial uncertainty', 'daily operations', and 'work-life balance' are used accurately. While the vocabulary is appropriate and conveys your meaning well, it is mostly functional. To achieve a higher band, you could incorporate more sophisticated or less common lexical items to demonstrate a wider range. For example, instead of 'increase their earnings', you could use 'augment their revenue streams', or instead of 'decide their working hours', you could use 'exercise autonomy over their professional schedule'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The essay displays a good variety of complex structures, such as conditional clauses and relative clauses (e.g., 'a person who operates an online business...'). The majority of your sentences are error-free, and your control over punctuation is excellent. The grammar is consistently accurate, and there are no significant errors that impede communication. To move into the higher bands, ensure you continue to experiment with more varied sentence structures, such as inversion or more complex passive constructions, while maintaining the high level of accuracy you have already achieved.

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