Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-19

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)

In modern days, people want to be self-employed instead of belonging to a company. It is more suitable for artists - such as painter, sculptor and carver. Regardless of these people, there are some disadvantages for most people. For example, self-employment might causes financial instability and social isolation.

First of all, self employment is too dependent on themselves which means they cannot make enough incomes and should they stop work, they will be poor quickly. It causes some kind of financial issues. Moreover, work-life balance will be disrupted. For instance, organisation is consisting different type of roles - such as CEO, marketer, manager, and accountant. They work together for one aim and can replace each others roles when they are not able to work. Should I want to be self-employed, I will always need to work and there is no one to replace me. That is the biggest problem of this topic.

Second of all, self-employments will be suffering social isolation. Every company or organisations have at least ten employees and they communicate each other everyday. It can fill their social energy and other emotional needs. On the other hand, self-employed people are always alone and it can damage their mental health. According to the data, one in five self-employed people has some kind of mental issues - such as anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Therefore, social interactions are essential to every people and their mental well-being.

In summary, self-employment has different kind of cons and their impacts vary from person to person.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses both questions: it gives a reason for choosing self-employment by linking it to artists’ work, and identifies financial instability and social isolation as disadvantages. These points are relevant, but the explanation of why people choose this arrangement is very limited; the opening claim that it is “more suitable for artists” is not developed with a clear example or broader reasons such as independence or flexible hours. The disadvantages receive more attention, especially the difficulty of taking time off, but some claims remain general, and the statistic about mental health is not explained or supported. To strengthen the response, develop the reasons for choosing self-employment and explain each disadvantage with a specific, credible example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. The body paragraphs each focus on a disadvantage, and signposts such as “First of all,” “Moreover,” and “On the other hand” help readers follow the discussion. However, the progression is not always clear: the first body paragraph begins with financial instability, shifts to work-life balance, and then introduces company roles without clearly connecting these points. The introduction also signals disadvantages but does not clearly preview the reason people choose self-employment. Some linking phrases, including “Second of all,” feel mechanical. Group related ideas more tightly and use clearer references to show how each example supports the main point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate its main ideas, including “financial instability,” “social isolation,” “work-life balance,” and “mental health.” There are also attempts at more specific terms such as “sculptor” and “accountant.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, including “make enough incomes,” “fill their social energy,” and “self-employments.” Repetition of “people,” “work,” and “company” also limits flexibility. These choices do not prevent the reader from understanding the overall argument, but they make some sentences less precise. Aim to use natural collocations and vary repeated terms; for example, describe income as “earn a stable income” and social contact as “meet social needs.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay attempts a mix of simple and complex structures, including a conditional sentence (“Should I want to be self-employed…”) and clauses introduced by “which means” and “when.” The overall meaning is generally understandable, but errors occur across the response. Examples include “self-employment might causes,” “organisation is consisting,” and “Every company or organisations have,” which show problems with verb forms and subject–verb agreement. There are also issues with articles, plurals and sentence construction, as in “one aim” and “replace each others roles.” Some longer sentences become difficult to follow because their grammatical relationships are unclear. Review agreement and verb patterns, and build complex sentences around one clear main clause.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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