Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-20
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)
In today's world, work-life choices play a vital role. Some people think that to be self-employed or start a business of their own is a great step in their career, leading to them various opportunities, instead to work for a company.
To start with, there are several reasons for being self-employed. First and foremost, it allows individuals to work freely at their own pace without worrying about deadlines and overtime work. For example, individuals who are running a business, can work at their own time and place without worrying about any kind of strict deadlines or being called upon for overtime. Moreover, people these days want to spend their time with family or friends, so they choose a career line that is more beneficial to them. As a result, self-employness allows people to adjust their schedule according to their work type.
On the other hand, there are some drawbacks of being self-employed. One of the main disadvantage is that many individuals do not make profits during the start of the business, which leads to short-term unemployment. For example, starting a restaurant business requires a lot of money and customers, however, many people fail due to lack of knowledge and least amount of footprint, that results to early closure of the business. Another disadvantage is that it does not allow monthly capital flow unlike regular jobs, which results in borrowing loan for a high amount. It also does not provide employee perks.
In conclusion, although
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses both parts of the task by discussing the reasons why people choose self-employment and the potential disadvantages. However, there are significant limitations. First, the essay is incomplete, breaking off abruptly in the conclusion ('In conclusion, although...'). Furthermore, the response falls short of the minimum word count requirement, containing only 244 words against the required 250 words. Although the ideas presented are generally relevant, such as work-life balance, initial financial risks, and the lack of employee perks, they remain somewhat repetitive and under-developed due to the premature ending. Weighing these factors against the official descriptors, the task is only partially addressed, leading to a band score of 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay displays some logical organisation with a clear introduction and body paragraphs that separate the advantages and disadvantages. Cohesive devices are used to signal progression, such as 'To start with', 'First and foremost', and 'On the other hand'. However, referencing and paragraphing suffer because the essay cuts off in the final paragraph, preventing a fully formed conclusion. Additionally, some transitional phrases feel mechanical, and the logical progression occasionally stalls due to repetitive phrasing. Overall, the structural arrangement demonstrates adequate coherence for a Band 6.0, as the main body sections are easy to follow despite the truncated ending.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'work-life choices', 'career line', 'financial stability', and 'employee perks'. However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and non-standard word formations, such as 'self-employness' instead of 'self-employment' and 'least amount of footprint' which is awkward collocation. Other minor issues include phrasing like 'borrowing loan for a high amount'. While these errors do not impede overall communication, they restrict the vocabulary score. The range is sufficient to meet the Band 6.0 descriptors, where an adequate vocabulary is used with some inappropriate word choices.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilising relative clauses and conditional structures. There are, however, several grammatical errors throughout the text. For instance, the introduction contains a noticeable error: 'instead to work for a company' should be 'instead of working for a company'. Other errors include subject-verb agreement issues, such as 'individuals who are running a business, can work...' with an unnecessary comma, and 'that results to early closure' instead of 'resulting in'. Despite these recurring mistakes, the meaning remains generally clear, and basic structures are usually accurate. This balance of mixed structures and frequent minor errors corresponds well to a Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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