Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-19

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)

In today`s contemporary world many individuals prefer to be self employed rather than working for a company or organisation. So in the forthcoming paragraphs, I have mentioned some of the causes of this trend and also stated disadvantages caused by it.

Firstly taking into consideration on of the reasons of this trend, people of this generation are preferring to work as per wish rather than working as per someone`s instructions. In companies or organisations, there is always a person whose instructions should be followed to complete any task. This is not acceptable to the people of this generation and as a result they prefer being self-employed.

Secondly, while working in a company or organisation there always lies a hidden pressure of performance and peer groups as in order to get a promotion one has to surpass it`s colleague in terms of performance. So to avoid such pressure, individuals opt for self -employment.

Now considering one of the major drawback of this trend, the amount you make by being self-employed may vary every month. To exemplify, the person doing freelancing may make 6 figures in a month or may make barely enough money to survive the month. This can be considered one of the major drawbacks of this trend.

Furthermore, in self employment programmes there is no job security as the government can make changes in law or ban any business owing to which the person relying on self employment may become unemployed.

In conclusion, people`s desire to work independently and avoid peer pressure can be the reasons for following this trend and lack of job security and the variation in money earned can be considered the major drawbacks of this trend.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, explaining both why people choose self-employment and the potential disadvantages. The introduction states the intention to cover these areas, and the body paragraphs logically present reasons such as avoiding instructions and peer pressure, alongside disadvantages like fluctuating income and job security. However, the development of ideas remains somewhat superficial. For instance, the discussion on fluctuating income would benefit from a broader economic perspective rather than just a simple personal example of freelancing making six figures. Furthermore, the phrasing 'So in the forthcoming paragraphs, I have mentioned...' uses an inappropriate tense. Despite these minor limitations, the overall task is adequately covered, earning a solid Band 6.5 descriptor match.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay has a clear overall arrangement and follows a logical progression from causes to disadvantages and a concluding summary. The student uses standard cohesive markers such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'Now considering', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader through the structure. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with each main idea given its own paragraph. However, some cohesive devices feel slightly mechanical or formulaic, and referencing is occasionally clumsy, such as 'surpass it`s colleague' where the possessive determiner is misused. Progression within paragraphs is generally clear, but connections between sentences could be smoother to achieve a higher band score. Overall, this meets the criteria for Band 6.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'contemporary world', 'self-employed', 'peer pressure', 'freelancing', and 'job security'. There are, however, some lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as 'making 6 figures in a month' (informal) and 'variation in money earned' (which could be more precisely expressed as 'income volatility'). Spelling is generally accurate, though there are punctuation and typographical issues with apostrophes ('it`s' instead of 'its' or 'their'). The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the ideas clearly without impeding the reader, placing it firmly at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. The student attempts complex structures using subordinate clauses ('while working in a company', 'as the government can make changes'), showing a reasonable range. There are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the text, including article omissions ('on of the reasons'), incorrect pronoun usage ('surpass it`s colleague'), and awkward phrasing like 'people of this generation are preferring'. Despite these errors, they rarely impede communication and the basic meaning remains clear. This balance of mixed structures and frequent minor errors corresponds well to a Band 6.0.

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