Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-09

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)

Yes, I do agree that nowadays people choose to be self-employed rather than to work for a company or organisation. Because nowadays corporate jobs are very stressful, you'll be stressed because of someone; repeatedly, you have to prove yourself, that you are doing your best. They give you overtime dues or the targets that you have to meet. And after a certain period of time, you'll get frustrated. You won't get leaves for the holidays; they'll call you to work if you're sick, they'll ask you to provide medical reports and then they'll approve leave. No extra payment for overtime. And you cannot do anything you want to do in life. You'll become a machine who's working for an organisation.

And compared to self-emplyed, you'll work on your own. You'll be the king and no oders from the upper authorities. No pressure to complete targets. You can take leave anytime you want, without anyone's permission. And you'll be happy doing that. If you want you can hire people for work so they'll work for you. And eventually you can earn more than corporate 9-5 jobs.

But there comes the risk associated with business, so whatever business you get into, you'll have to work harder if you are doing it from scratch. So the main disadvantage would be that, there may be profit sometimes and ythere cannot be losses. Like some business works seasonal, so there would be no income in the non-seasonal months. But there are chances you can earn profit in the seasonal months. But if you are doing a corporate job then you'll recieve the same salary every month.

In conclusion, if you are ready to take the risk then it's better be the king and get selfemployed and if you don't want that risk then you should do corporate job at some good MNC's

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both parts of the question and maintain a clear view that self-employment can offer greater freedom and earning potential, while business income is uncertain. The discussion of workplace pressure, overtime and leave gives relevant reasons why people may prefer working for themselves. You also identify a genuine disadvantage through seasonal income and contrast this with a regular salary. However, some points are asserted rather than explained: for example, the claim that self-employed people can “earn more” would be stronger with a brief example or qualification, and the risks of starting a business could be developed beyond fluctuating income. The response therefore covers the task, but its ideas are not equally developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: it introduces the preference for self-employment, develops reasons, considers disadvantages, and ends with a conclusion. Paragraphing helps separate these stages, and contrasts such as “But” and “compared to” guide the reader through the main points. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes list-like, particularly the sequence of complaints about corporate work, and repeated use of “And” and “But” makes connections feel mechanical. Some references are also unclear, as in “there may be profit sometimes and there cannot be losses,” where the intended contrast is difficult to follow. Group related points and use more precise links to make the argument flow more smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “self-employed,” “targets,” “overtime,” “seasonal,” and “salary.” Some phrases, such as “risk associated with business” and “from scratch,” are relevant to the discussion. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or informal, including “no oders,” “get leaves,” and “be the king.” Spelling errors such as “self-emplyed,” “recieve,” and “ythere” also reduce accuracy. These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding the overall message, but they make parts of it less clear and less appropriate for an academic essay. Aim for precise business vocabulary and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and longer sentences, and most of the main ideas remain understandable. There are some errors in sentence formation and punctuation, however. “Because nowadays corporate jobs are very stressful” is a dependent clause presented as a sentence, while “They give you overtime dues or the targets that you have to meet” has an unclear grammatical relationship between its parts. The sentence beginning “Like some business works seasonal” also needs a clearer structure, and the conclusion’s “if you are ready to take the risk then it's better be the king” is missing a grammatical element. Try combining related short statements into controlled complex sentences, and check articles, verb forms and clause boundaries.

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