Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-13

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 6.0)

In this modern era a growing number of people have opted pursue self employment rather than traditional role within established corporations. Although it also introduces significant drawbacks, most notably financial instability and the absence of employee benefit.

The primary region behind surge in self-employment is the high degree of professional independence it afford freelancers entrepreneur have complete authority their work schedule, the clinds they choose the collaborate with there physical working environment. unlike salary employees bond by strict office hours and corporate hierarchies, self employed people can taler their work lord to achieve a superior work life balance. Furthermore, the rapid expansion digital platforms and remote communication tools has made establishing independent ventures more accessible than ever, allowing professional such as digital marketers, graphic designer, and private tutor to manage sustainable career directly from home.

Despite the advantages, working independently carry major risks, foremost among them being finical volatility salaried workers enjoy a dependable monthly wages regardless of business cycle, where as independent workers phase unpredictable revenue streams and the constant pressure of securing new clients. A lean month can severely jeopardizes one's financial obligations. Additionally, the lack of corporate safety such as paid leave, comprehensive health insurance and retired pension schemes means self employed individual must shoulder all economy risks alone.

In conclusion, while the liberty to govern ones own schedule and career path motivate many to embrace self employment, the accompanying financial uncertainty and lack of social security represent serious challenges that require meticulous planning and resilience.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses both questions and maintains a clear overall position: independence and flexibility attract people, while unstable income and missing benefits are disadvantages. The examples of digital marketers, graphic designers and tutors make the reasons relevant, and the conclusion restates the main points. However, some ideas are more fully explained than others: flexibility is developed through scheduling and work-life balance, whereas the disadvantages are mostly listed rather than illustrated or explored. The response also falls one word short of the required minimum. To strengthen the answer, explain a consequence of lacking paid leave or insurance, and add a specific example showing how unpredictable income affects a self-employed person.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a coherent overall arrangement, with an introduction, a paragraph explaining why people choose self-employment, a paragraph on disadvantages, and a conclusion. The progression from independence to financial risks is easy to follow, and signposts such as “Furthermore,” “Despite the advantages,” and “In conclusion” help guide the reader. This is effective, though some linking is mechanical and a few relationships between ideas are not expressed clearly. For example, the opening sentence of the first body paragraph contains several points about control, but their connection is obscured by unclear phrasing. Use clearer sentence boundaries and refer back to ideas explicitly, so the reader can follow how each example supports the paragraph’s main point.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

There is an adequate range for the topic, including relevant terms such as “professional independence,” “unpredictable revenue streams,” “corporate hierarchies,” and “financial uncertainty.” These choices show an attempt to use more specific vocabulary, and the meaning is generally recoverable. However, spelling and word-choice errors sometimes reduce precision, as in “finical volatility,” “clinds,” and “work lord”; some combinations are also unnatural, such as “corporate safety” and “retired pension schemes.” These inaccuracies prevent the vocabulary from being consistently precise and natural. Proofread spelling carefully and learn common collocations for employment and benefits, rather than relying on approximate forms of words.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts a mix of simple and complex structures, including a concession in “Although it also introduces significant drawbacks” and a contrast between salaried and independent workers. The overall meaning can usually be understood, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. The opening “Although” clause is left without a main clause, and there are problems with articles, agreement and verb forms, for example “the high degree … it afford” and “working independently carry major risks.” Sentence boundaries and punctuation also need attention, particularly in the first body paragraph, where several clauses run together. Aim to produce complete sentences first, then check subject–verb agreement and articles; accurate control of these patterns would make the complex ideas easier to follow.

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