Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-28
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 modern period of time, more number of people are opting for self-employment and avoid working for a comapany. This could be due to the convenience and ownership the individual wanted to have while working. In this essay, will explain the reasons and drawbacks of being self-employed.
People often tend to work at their convenient space and like to accomplish the ownership of the work they do. When people work in organizations, they have to follow the rules and protocols of the firm, but when they build their own businesses, they will have flexibility in executing tasks. For example, one of my university friend starting content creation after qutting his job in software company, he is now more stable mentally and financially. The regular job schedule used to disrupt his work life balance. However, he is more satisfied with his self-earning method.
At some point of being-self emplyed, there are some consequences that may occur when time for scaling the personal business evolve. There will be plenty of tasks to be done and without proper course of execution, it will create adverse situations for that particular person. For instance, there was a time when my brother started e-commerce business, at first it went well, but as the time passed for growing it, the real problems arised and he was unable to manage the firm and got into troubles, therefore started working as an employee in a company.
In conclusion, it is clear that self-employment do have benefits for individuals who want to become the owner of their business and want to work as per their requirement. Nevertheless, there are concerns of starting own business and have many problems with it.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both the reasons why people choose self-employment, such as flexibility and control, and the potential disadvantages, such as the overwhelming workload and managerial challenges. A clear position is maintained throughout the essay. Ideas are extended and supported with relevant personal examples, such as the mention of a university friend and a brother. However, there is a slight tendency to over-generalise, and some explanations could be more deeply developed with broader societal arguments rather than solely relying on anecdotes. Overall, the task is well handled and meets the requirements of a Band 6.5 to 7.0, ultimately fitting comfortably into Band 6.5 due to minor under-development in places.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The essay is logically organised into four paragraphs: an introduction, a body paragraph for reasons, a body paragraph for disadvantages, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'In this essay, will explain', 'For example', and 'Nevertheless'. However, there are some mechanical transitions and referencing issues, such as the phrase 'as the time passed for growing it', which feels slightly awkward and impacts the natural flow. Paragraphing is used sufficiently, and there is a clear overall progression of ideas from causes to consequences. Therefore, this section aligns well with the descriptors for Band 6.5, showing a coherent overall arrangement despite some faulty cohesion.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common lexical items such as 'self-employment', 'work life balance', 'consequences', and 'e-commerce'. However, there are noticeable word-choice and spelling errors throughout the text, including 'comapany' instead of company, 'starting' instead of started, 'qutting' instead of quitting, 'arised' instead of arose, and 'being-self emplyed'. These errors do not impede overall communication, but they restrict the lexical score. While the writer attempts to use flexible vocabulary, the frequency of slips keeps the score at a solid Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at subordination and relative clauses, such as 'When people work in organizations, they have to follow the rules...'. However, there are numerous grammatical inaccuracies and missing words throughout the text, such as 'In modern period of time' instead of 'In modern times', 'the individual wanted' instead of 'individuals want', and 'will explain' missing the subject 'I'. Additionally, verb tense inconsistencies appear, such as 'starting content creation after qutting'. Despite these errors, meaning is rarely obscured, and simple sentences are generally accurate, earning a Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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