Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-01

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 4.0)

Nowaday many people are independent.they rely on our resourses and belived that they have many skils and ideas in it.many people choose to be self employed because there skils and ideas are very advantage to give him .he think that if he work on your recourses they earned money rather than to work for company or organisation. but he did not think could be the disadvantage of being self employed .if there ideas did not work he pass through the major loss . and he loss our oppertunities who did not give him after the loss our ideas .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response only minimally addresses the task, touching upon why people might choose self-employment and briefly mentioning potential disadvantages such as financial loss. However, the ideas are severely limited and under-developed, lacking specific examples or thorough exploration. Furthermore, the response is severely underdeveloped in terms of length, containing only 99 words, which falls significantly short of the minimum requirement of 250 words. To move to a higher band, the writer must fully address all parts of the task with well-extended, fully supported ideas and meet the required word count.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 3.5

Information and ideas are not arranged coherently in this response. There is a lack of logical progression, and the text is presented as a single block without paragraphing. Furthermore, cohesive devices are largely missing or inadequate, and referencing is unclear, such as the confusing shifts in pronouns ('our', 'he', 'they'). To improve coherence and cohesion, the writer needs to organise the essay into clear paragraphs with a logical introduction of ideas, supported by appropriate and accurate cohesive devices to connect sentences and arguments smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, with frequent errors in word choice, word form, and spelling that strain the reader's understanding. Examples include 'Nowaday', 'resourses', 'belived', 'skils', and 'oppertunities'. The range of vocabulary is minimal and inadequate for discussing this topic effectively. To achieve a higher band, the writer must expand their lexical repertoire, use words with greater precision and correct collocations, and demonstrate accurate spelling and word formation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response displays a very limited range of structures, consisting mainly of basic sentences with frequent errors that often distort meaning. There are persistent problems with subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, and pronoun use, such as 'they rely on our resourses' and 'he think that if he work... they earned money'. Punctuation and sentence boundaries are also poorly controlled. To progress, the writer needs to demonstrate a greater variety of sentence structures with a higher frequency of error-free sentences, alongside careful control over basic grammatical agreements and verb tenses.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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