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)
With all the technological advancements and developments, people are more likely to work from home, buiding their own company or starting their own setup, from the convenience of their home. This makes them feel more at ease, they have the freedom to start their daily work whenever they want to, instead of working 9 to 5 for a company. Although self employment has it's own perks, it has some drawbacks too.
Some companies or organizations do not pay their employers based on their overall capabilities, thus, they get stuck with only one job post for years, especially when they do not get promoted even after giving years of the prime time. This situation itself discourages them and often leads to resignation. After that, their whole focus shift towards starting their own company, where they themselves are the boss and employee. They do not have to deal with office mainpulations and rude behaviour of their mangers or collegues. They had the complete hold of their work and the profit solely belongs to them.
Self-employment has some drawbacks too. To be very honest, not everyone's able to run a company entirely on their own. With a specific budget, starting a company might seems pretty easy but running it for a long run is way more hrader. Also, that person's whole social life is goin to be online rather than physical. They might get isolated to their house or room. Whether, it's success or failure in business, tax calculations or any other query, that person is on their own now.
In conclusion, self employement sounds fantastic and a lot people are optimistic about starting their own setup, but they must be fully aware of it's drawbacks too.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response addresses both questions and maintains a clear overall view: people may prefer self-employment for greater freedom and control, while facing financial and social challenges. The explanation about feeling undervalued, not being promoted, and then choosing to become one’s own boss is relevant, as are the points about sustaining a business and isolation. However, some ideas are asserted rather than fully explained. For example, the claim that profits belong solely to the owner could be qualified by noting that income may be uncertain or must cover business costs. The disadvantages would also be stronger with a concrete example or more detail about risks such as irregular earnings. Developing these points more evenly would make the response more complete and persuasive.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph explaining reasons, a paragraph on disadvantages, and a conclusion. This makes the main progression easy to follow. Some links between ideas are less smooth, however. The second paragraph moves from lack of promotion to resignation and then to self-employment, but the connection could be made more explicit. The phrase “This situation itself” is also a vague reference, and “Whether, it’s success or failure…” does not connect grammatically or logically to the preceding sentence. Transitions such as “Another reason” or “A further challenge” could clarify relationships without relying on broad linking phrases. More precise referencing and smoother connections would strengthen the flow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The response uses a relevant range of vocabulary, including “self-employment,” “promoted,” “isolated,” and “drawbacks,” and the meaning is generally clear. It also attempts more specific expressions such as “prime time” and “complete hold,” but these are not natural in context; “most productive years” and “control over their work” would be more appropriate. Several spelling errors, including “buiding,” “mainpulations,” “mangers,” and “collegues,” reduce accuracy. Some wording is also imprecise or informal, such as “setup,” “pretty easy,” and “way more harder.” Aim for accurate collocations and a consistently suitable academic tone, while checking spelling and avoiding expressions that sound translated or conversational.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
There is a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the contrast introduced by “Although” and the conditional clause “With a specific budget…”. Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors occur. For example, “they have the freedom… instead of working” creates an unclear comparison, while “their whole focus shift” has a subject–verb agreement error. In “starting a company might seems,” the verb form after “might” should be “seem”; “not everyone’s able” needs “not everyone is able,” and “a lot people” needs “a lot of people.” The sentence beginning “Whether, it’s success or failure…” is also structurally incomplete. Review agreement, modal verb patterns, articles, and sentence boundaries to improve control.
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