Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-11
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)
Self-employed means working under no one else's rule but their owns. No pressure or force is created by other people if people are self-employed. People are able make their own rules and regulations only if they work under none.
Peace of mind could be created if anyone's self employed . People prefer to priority it more. Employed people are bound to listen to their boss but not many likes it.
Everyone wants to be independent. Freedom is something that's searched everyday. But independancy and freedom is not usually found if people work for a company or organisation. There are classist , conceited and cooky types of company owners which should be avoid . They can be avoided only if people choose to be self employed.
Self employed people also needs to hire people to run the company. Recruiting employers are another hassle. To run a business it's better not to be cliche but that's another thing to worry about. Not to mention money is the first and biggest problem. Most of the cases self-employed people fail because they become greedy and loses their business.
Sarcastically, self-employed people are mostly entitled . They care for none but themselves. If someone wants to be succesfully self employed they better care about their works as well .
Self-employed gives people freedom but this chance shouldn't be used to dominate other . Many new things could be learned from self-employement but the chances this is less if people work under other organisation or company because of nepotism.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
You address both questions: freedom and independence are offered as reasons for self-employment, while hiring staff, financial risk and possible self-centred behaviour are presented as disadvantages. However, the response only partially develops these points. For example, “Everyone wants to be independent” is a broad claim, and the discussion of money does not explain clearly how unstable income or business costs create difficulty. Some ideas are also unclear or insufficiently relevant, such as the claim that owners can be avoided because they are “classist, conceited and cooky.” Your position is not consistently clear, and the final comments about domination and nepotism do not fully explain the disadvantages. Develop fewer points with specific explanations or examples.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0
The response is divided into paragraphs, and there is a recognisable attempt to move from reasons for self-employment to disadvantages. However, ideas are not arranged in a consistently logical progression, and several paragraphs contain abrupt or loosely connected statements. For instance, the paragraph beginning “Self employed people also needs to hire people” shifts from recruitment to being “not cliche,” then to money and greed without showing how these points relate. Linking phrases such as “But” and “Not to mention” are used, but they do not always clarify the relationship between ideas. The conclusion introduces new claims rather than drawing together the main points. Group related reasons and disadvantages, then use clear topic sentences and links to guide the reader.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use some relevant vocabulary, including “independent,” “freedom,” “recruiting,” “business” and “nepotism,” and you attempt less common expressions such as “peace of mind” and “entitled.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or confusing. “Their owns,” “priority it more,” “cooky types” and “care about their works” make parts of the message difficult to interpret. Spelling errors such as “independency,” “succesfully” and “self-employement” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, natural phrases that express the intended business concepts, such as “manage their own workload,” “recruit employees” and “financial uncertainty.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both short statements and longer sentences, including clauses with “if” and “because,” but the range of structures is limited and errors occur frequently. Examples include “People are able make” (missing “to”), “not many likes it” (subject–verb agreement), and “self-employed people also needs” (agreement). In “Most of the cases … fail because they become greedy and loses their business,” the subject changes incorrectly within the clause. There are also problems with articles, possessives and sentence boundaries, as in “Self-employed gives people freedom.” These errors sometimes make the intended meaning harder to follow. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and build longer sentences from correctly formed clauses.
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