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)
Currently most of the people select to be self-employed instead of work for a company or organisation.
Because it is flexible time of working and easy for everyone housewives who cannot go outside of the house. Self-employed is easy and in this we can earn more then a worker's yearly salary. People chose by their self for whom they want to work they can do their projects at any place at any time in between their project deadline dates.
If someone self-employed but because of some reasons he cannot getting any project he wil not earn at that time and it is difficult situation for him and on the other side if he is working for an organisaton he will earn definitely after a month. If he is ill for weeks he can not do his projects and he will lose his clients and if he is working in a company he will definitely take medical leaves and he will get paid after the month not matter he isn't present there or not .
If i'll give an example I can take myself for it, I worked as a freelancer but sometimes when im ill i didn't earn and sometimes I take many projects from different clients at that time I felt very happy and I enjoy to do work. Sometimes people could'nt get clients and they get demotivated and also they can't get earn. Mostly we prefer to do work for a company because it get paid after a month but sometimes they cut some part of our salary.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You address both questions: flexibility and the possibility of higher earnings are given as reasons for self-employment, while irregular income and difficulty working when ill are identified as disadvantages. The personal example about freelancing is relevant and helps illustrate these points. However, the ideas are only partly developed. For instance, the claim that self-employment is suitable for housewives is not explained, and the comparison with company work is repeated rather than extended with a clear example or consequence. Your position is also not fully clear: the final sentence shifts to preferring company work without explaining how this relates to the earlier advantages. Develop each reason with a specific explanation and make the overall comparison consistent.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from reasons for self-employment to disadvantages and then to a personal example. This gives the reader some sense of organisation. However, progression within paragraphs is uneven, and several ideas are joined without clear relationships. The opening explanation begins with “Because” but does not form a complete sentence, while “on the other side” is used where a clearer contrast would help. The final paragraph combines personal experience, client difficulties, and a preference for company work without a clear sequence. Use a focused topic sentence for each paragraph, group related points together, and make links between examples and the claims they support more explicit.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “self-employed,” “freelancer,” “clients,” “projects,” and “medical leaves.” Some phrases also convey relevant distinctions, such as earning irregularly versus receiving a monthly salary. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive, which sometimes makes the meaning less clear. Examples include “easy for everyone housewives,” “get earn,” and “take many projects.” Spelling errors such as “organisaton” and “wil” also reduce accuracy. Build a wider set of precise expressions for income, workload, and employment benefits, and check that verbs naturally combine with the nouns you use.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including conditional ideas such as “If someone self-employed…but…he will not earn” and a contrast between freelance work and company employment. These attempts show an effort to express relationships between ideas. However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors in verb forms, sentence construction, agreement, and punctuation frequently make the reader work to understand the meaning. For example, “Because it is flexible time of working” is a fragment, and “he cannot getting any project” has an incorrect verb pattern. Tense shifts in the personal example (“I worked,” “I didn’t earn,” “I take”) also make the timeline unclear. Practise complete clauses, consistent tense, and accurate conditional structures.
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