Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-08

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 5.0)

In recent days, self-employment has been the focus of many individuals. Everyone wants to own a business and all that. This is becoming a really big issue in the society.

Truthfully, this can be influenced by the current economic situation of that area where they find themselves.

Where I am from, people are more focused on being self-employed than working for companies or organisations. Well this is caused mostly by lack of jobs there, that not withstanding. I strongly believe that it is better for a person, especially youths to engage more in organisational and company functions, instead of trying to start businesses and being self-employed. This is because being self-employed does not give them the necessary experience the need. Imagine a fresh university graduate, a youth about 24 years old after graduating from school that is meant to go in search of a job decides to be self-employed ore decides to start up a business, he or she will definitely lack the knowledge to keep that business running, even if that individual studies business administration he or she will still lack the experience and expertise to keep that business up and running. This is where the company and organisation employment. Take an instance, a person at the age of 25, graduates with a degree in business administration and takes up a job as a as a project manager for a company, with a few years of hard work and diligence, he or she would definitely be promoted. Each promotion gets the person more experience and after maybe five years he or she can proceed to opening a business of their own and by impacting all the knowledge he or she had gotten while working the business is likely to flourish in no time.

With this I strongly believe that it is better to work for companies and organisations mostly to gain exposure and experience.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You give a clear view that company employment can provide experience before someone starts a business, and the graduate/project-manager example helps illustrate this position. However, the task asks both why people choose self-employment and what disadvantages it can bring. You mainly discuss a lack of jobs as a reason, then focus on why young people should work for organisations; the disadvantages are only implied through inexperience and the risk of a business failing. Other relevant drawbacks, such as unstable income or responsibility for costs, are not explained. As a result, the response addresses the prompt only partially, and its ideas remain limited and under-developed. Develop both requested parts directly, with a clear explanation and example for each.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a recognisable overall direction: you introduce self-employment, discuss local employment conditions, and then explain why workplace experience may be valuable. The example of a graduate progressing to project manager also gives the discussion a concrete sequence. However, the response is presented as one long paragraph, so the shift from reasons for self-employment to your argument for company work is difficult to follow. Linking phrases such as “This is where” and “With this” do not clearly connect the ideas, and the repeated example makes progression feel circular. Use separate paragraphs for the reasons, disadvantages, and conclusion, and make each paragraph’s main point explicit. Clearer referencing and more purposeful transitions would help readers follow the argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “self-employed,” “economic situation,” “experience,” “expertise,” and “promotion.” These terms make the general subject understandable. However, the range is limited and several expressions are informal, vague, or awkward for an academic essay, such as “and all that,” “really big issue,” and “keep that business up and running.” There are also noticeable word-choice and collocation problems, including “organisational and company functions” and “by impacting all the knowledge.” These choices sometimes make the intended meaning less precise. Aim for more exact phrases for employment conditions and business risks, and check that verbs naturally combine with their objects.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt longer sentences with subordinate clauses, particularly in the graduate example, and you use some simple sentences to state your position. However, the range is limited, and complex sentences are often faulty or difficult to control. For example, “a youth about 24 years old after graduating from school that is meant to go in search of a job decides…” has unclear clause structure, while “a as a project manager” contains a repeated article. Other errors include “the experience the need” and “This is where the company and organisation employment,” which is an incomplete sentence. These problems can make parts of the argument difficult to read. Break long sentences into clearer units and check articles, verb forms, agreement, and sentence completeness.

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