Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-05

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)

The issue of this topic has sparked considerable debate over whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.in my opinion while there are certain drawbacks to self employed the benefits far outweigh these diadvantages .This esaay will explore both sides of the arguments.

One of the most significant advantages of self employed is that you don't have to be dependent on someone for your payroll .This is crucial because nowadys people want to be more independents and does not want to listen to others working in a company can be exhausting like getting scolded by your boss not getting payment on time and a lot of other things.For instance if you are self employed you don't really have to worry about these things and you could be more free and independent.In my perspective self employed is far better than working for a organization.

on the other hand self employed also presents certain disadvantages,the most noticable of which is managing time for example if you are working for a company you will have a exact time on which you have to start and end your working their will be no more midnight calls mismanagement not schedule meeting this can lead to stress and pressure consequently managing time can be crucial for a person handling a buisness than someone working for a organization.

In conclusion although self employed has some disadvantages such as managing time dealing with stress working overtime the advantages include being more independent having money in your own hand not getting insults from anyone far outweigh the disadvantages.Therefore i belive that being self employed is better than working for a organization.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the reasons for choosing self-employment and its potential disadvantages, fulfilling the core requirements of the task. However, the development of ideas remains limited and under-developed, which keeps the response at this level. For instance, the reasons given for self-employment, such as not having a boss and avoiding payroll dependency, are stated rather than fully extended with deeper analysis or concrete, realistic examples. Similarly, the disadvantage regarding time management is introduced with a broad claim about schedules and midnight calls, but lacks specific elaboration. The writer's position is generally clear throughout the text, yet the overall treatment remains somewhat superficial, meaning it only partially covers the demands of the prompt with sufficient depth.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates some organisation with a recognizable introduction, body paragraphs addressing each part of the prompt, and a conclusion. However, there is no clear overall progression across the text, as ideas tend to be grouped loosely rather than built up logically. Cohesive devices are frequently inadequate, inaccurate, or over-used, leading to a disjointed feel. For example, referencing is sometimes unclear, and sentences are often run together without proper punctuation or transitions, such as the transition from discussing advantages to disadvantages in the third paragraph. Paragraphing is attempted, but internal cohesion within paragraphs suffers from repetitive phrasing and mechanical linking, which prevents the essay from achieving a smoother, more natural flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is of a limited but minimally adequate range for discussing the topic of employment. The writer attempts some less common phrasing, such as 'sparked considerable debate' and 'significant advantages', but these are often undermined by noticeable word form errors and incorrect collocations, such as 'self employed' used as a noun phrase instead of 'self-employment', and 'organization' spelled inconsistently. There are frequent lexical inaccuracies throughout the response, including phrases like 'having money in your own hand' and 'getting insults from anyone', which cause some difficulty for the reader and impede precise communication. Spelling errors and awkward word choices prevent the vocabulary from reaching a higher standard.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The essay displays a very limited range of structures, relying primarily on simple sentences alongside a few clumsy attempts at complex forms that are often faulty. There are frequent grammatical errors, including issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'does not want to listen', 'there will be no more midnight calls mismanagement not schedule meeting'), incorrect verb forms, and missing articles or prepositions. Punctuation is particularly weak, with run-on sentences, missing commas, and sentences starting without capitalization in several places. These frequent errors persist throughout the text and cause significant difficulty and strain for the reader, placing the grammatical performance firmly within this band.

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