Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-27

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)

> More people prefer to do their own work rather than serve other people companies. The self employed can work freely whenever he need to do work more means he changes in his timetable. The self employed person have carry the pressure and all burden comes up on his shoulder under his struggling phase.

The peoples who work for his own business can change make according to his own time preferences. He is not bounded by someone to come and at same time daily and do the same 9 to 5 job. This might be the best thing in own work. For example, many people in the big cities take stalls rather than working in the hotel as a waiter. This encourages them to work for his own. In the starting phase they might be facing struggle but after giving time to their business he needs handsome amount of money.

The disadvantage of being self employed are the pressure at the time of struggling, and you are the only one who need to back all the things and makes the customer happy so they come in the future

However, being self-employed also has some disadvantages. The main disadvantage is that self-employed people have to face financial pressure, especially when they are starting a new business. They have to invest their own money and may not earn a stable income in the beginning. Moreover, they are responsible for finding customers, managing employees, and dealing with business problems. This can create stress and require a lot of time and effort. For example, a person who starts a small shop may have to work for long hours without knowing whether the business will be successful.

In conclusion, self-employment provides people with freedom, flexibility, and the opportunity to earn more money. However, it also involves financial risks, stress, and greater responsibility. Therefore, people should carefully consider both the advantages and disadvantages before deciding to become self-employed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the reasons for choosing self-employment and its disadvantages. The writer presents a clear position throughout the essay. Ideas are extended with relevant examples, such as comparing working in a hotel as a waiter with taking stalls in big cities, and starting a small shop. Although there are some minor repetitions and occasional over-generalisations in the opening body paragraphs, the main prompts of the question are sufficiently covered. The conclusion neatly summarises the key points, aligning well with the expectations of Band 6.5 to Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion. Paragraphing is utilised, although some paragraphs in the earlier sections appear fragmented or repetitive. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'However' and 'Moreover', though referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly with pronouns like 'he' and 'they'. While the progression is generally logical, the occasional mechanical transition and repetition between paragraphs prevent it from reaching a higher band score.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'financial pressure', 'stable income', and 'responsibility'. However, there are notable word-choice and collocation errors, such as 'serve other people companies' instead of 'work for other companies', and 'needs handsome amount of money' instead of 'earns a handsome amount of money'. Spelling is generally acceptable, but inaccuracies in phrasing occasionally require the reader to re-read.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but grammatical control is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement and pronoun usage, such as 'The self employed person have carry' and 'The peoples who work for his own business'. Punctuation is also erratic in places, with run-on sentences and missing articles. While complex structures are attempted, they often result in errors that can cause some difficulty for the reader, fitting the Band 5.0 descriptors.

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