Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-16
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 4.5)
Currently individuals are more interested in operating their private businesses than being civil servants or employees at other businesses. Being self-employed is highly favoured because of the benefits it have which include not being held by time, less pressure from others and just by being the boss of themselves. Some disadvantages of being self-employed is the stress on how one must be able to successfully operation the business for it to prosper. This could include recruitments and screening of reliable and hard working employees, operational funds and the qualification or mindset of someone whose academically qualified and have the required experiences.
To begin with, inorder to successfully run a business it requires determination and understanding
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The response attempts to address both parts of the task by outlining reasons why people choose self-employment, such as freedom from rigid schedules and being one's own boss, alongside disadvantages like operational stress. However, the text is severely truncated, containing only 115 words against the mandatory 250-word minimum. This critical under-length violation prevents any full development of ideas or examples, resulting in an incomplete response that fails to meet the basic task requirements. Consequently, Task Achievement is heavily penalised for length and lack of development.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.5
The text begins with a clear introduction and attempts to organise ideas logically by separating advantages and disadvantages. However, the response breaks off mid-sentence in the second paragraph ('To begin with, inorder to successfully run a business it requires determination and understanding'), leaving the essay incomplete. Because of this abrupt termination and lack of proper paragraphing or cohesive progression, the structural organisation is severely compromised. Referencing is attempted, but the overall arrangement fails to maintain a coherent flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is generally basic and repetitive, featuring phrases like 'operating their private businesses' and 'being the boss of themselves'. There are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'operation the business' instead of 'operate the business' and 'academically qualified and have the required experiences'. While the student attempts some less common terms like 'recruitment', the restricted range and frequent word-form errors limit the precision and sophistication expected at higher bands.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control is inconsistent. Grammatical errors are frequent throughout the short text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('the benefits it have which include') and incorrect verb forms ('how one must be able to successfully operation'). Punctuation and spelling are generally acceptable, but the persistence of basic grammatical errors and the incomplete final sentence indicate limited structural control and accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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