Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-17

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)

It is a often believe that self-employment is more preferable than working for someone's business. My answer to first question is people do not want to depend on their organization rather working according to their will. Moreover, answer to the second question is that individuals may face some difficulties regarding their own work.

To answer the first question in detail, some people really do not like to work under others as they want freedom in their work. To be more precise, they want to do work according to their mode not on a fix schedule, which helps them concentrate and work freely. For instance, if a person has anger issues he might not be survive in corporate sector as boss may say harsh words, so in that case self-employment is the best way to prevent these problems because he do not need to listen others. This is because some people are in favour of this concept.

However, ther are some disadvantages as well which answers the second question in detail. As self employment is not that easy so one may struggle to find such work. This primarily means people may have limited opportunities as a single unit compare to the organization, where they have thousands of clients. A prominent example of this can be seen in upwork platform where numerous individuals work as self-employed but they face many difficulties in finding their first few clients which may cause disappointment. Consequently, some people do not want to be self-employed.

In conclusion, although working for a company is very beneficial yet people decide to work independently. This is beacuse they want freedom and they cannot survive corporate environment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions and maintain a relevant overall position: independence and freedom can attract people, while finding clients can be difficult. The Upwork example supports the disadvantage, and the point about avoiding a harsh boss illustrates the appeal of self-employment. However, the response only partially develops these ideas. The reasons for choosing self-employment are mostly reduced to wanting freedom, and the example about anger issues is narrow and not fully explained. The disadvantages section focuses almost entirely on securing clients, without exploring other consequences or explaining their impact in depth. The conclusion repeats the main points rather than drawing them together. Develop each answer with clearer explanation and a more representative example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph for each question, and a conclusion. Paragraphs generally stay focused, and signposts such as “To answer the first question” and “However” help readers follow the shift from advantages to disadvantages. At times, though, these links feel mechanical, and some connections between sentences are unclear. For example, “This is because some people are in favour of this concept” repeats the preceding point rather than advancing it, while “Consequently” does not clearly show how difficulty finding clients leads to the stated conclusion. The final paragraph also introduces a contrast with company work without developing it. Use more precise referencing and connect each example explicitly to the point it supports.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “self-employment,” “freedom,” “limited opportunities,” and “clients.” There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “corporate sector” and “corporate environment.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations sound unnatural or imprecise, including “more preferable,” “according to their mode,” and “as a single unit compare to the organization.” Spelling errors such as “ther” and “beacuse” are noticeable, and “fix schedule” is not the intended form. These issues sometimes make the reader pause. Aim for accurate, natural phrases and check spelling; for instance, use “flexible schedule” and “compared with larger organisations.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “as,” “which,” and “because,” so there is some variety. However, control is inconsistent, and errors occur in basic sentence patterns as well as longer constructions. Examples include “It is a often believe,” “my answer to first question,” and “he might not be survive”; the final example also shows difficulty forming a modal verb construction. In “he do not need,” the subject and verb do not agree, and articles are missing in phrases such as “the first question.” These errors can make parts of the response difficult to read. Practise accurate article use, subject–verb agreement, and verb patterns, then proofread complex sentences to ensure each clause is complete.

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