Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-22

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)

Nowadays, many individuals prefer to be self-employed, instead of working in a company or organisation. There are many benefits of being self-employed because of freedom and flexibility, although it also has some drawbacks too.

One major reason why people choose self employment is because of freedom and flexibility in their work. For example, a freelancer can earn more instead of depending on fixed salary. People can also balance their work life and they can earn more because the can deal with more customers. People also have opportunity to decide their working hours. They don't need to rely on manager and they can also use their skills to start a business. A self-employed person can work for long hours and make good money. Hence, these are some mega benefits which make this view positive one.

Although, self-employment might have some drawbacks too because if a self-employed person doesn't have work opportunities then it will tough for his survival because he will not be paid. For instance, a self employed person can't get the opportunity of paid holidays and also he will nt get pension after retirement. They also don't get payment of sick leave. Self-employment can also cause stress and greater work responsibility because a self-employed person has to handle his own business and sometimes work for long hours.

To sum up, self-employment has both advantages and disadvantages because it gives flexibility and freedom in work. People have opportunity to earn more and meet multiple clients. But at the same time, it can also cause stress because a sel-employed person has to manage all his tasks that can be exhausting.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both questions and maintain a clear overall view: flexibility and earning potential attract people, while insecure income and missing employment benefits are disadvantages. Relevant examples include freelancers serving multiple customers and the lack of paid holidays, sick leave, and pensions. However, some points are asserted rather than explained. For example, the claim that self-employment helps people balance work and life is not illustrated, and the link between serving more customers and earning more needs qualification. The disadvantages are somewhat clearer, but could be developed with a specific example of how irregular work affects someone financially. To strengthen the response, explain the causes and consequences of each main point more fully and precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, one paragraph on reasons, one on disadvantages, and a conclusion. The reader can follow the main progression, and signposts such as “For example,” “Although,” and “To sum up” help identify the stages of the argument. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent organisation and shows some features of stronger progression. However, linking is occasionally mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “also” and the list-like sequence of benefits. “Although” at the start of the disadvantages paragraph is not followed by a complete contrasting structure, and “these are some mega benefits” refers vaguely to the preceding points. Group related ideas and use clearer references and transitions so the connections feel more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “self-employed,” “fixed salary,” “paid holidays,” “pension,” and “work responsibility.” Some variation is also evident in phrases such as “freedom and flexibility” and “work opportunities.” However, the range is limited by repeated wording, especially “self-employed,” “earn more,” and “work,” and several choices are imprecise or informal. “Mega benefits” is not suitable for an academic essay, while “this view positive one” is unclear. There are also spelling or form slips such as “sel-employed” and “nt.” Aim for more precise collocations and a more consistently formal register; for example, describe income as “potentially higher” and benefits as “employment protections.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple sentences and some longer structures, including a conditional clause in “if a self-employed person doesn’t have work opportunities then it will tough for his survival.” Most sentences communicate their intended meaning, but some grammatical errors remain. Examples include the missing verb in “it will tough,” the incorrect “the can deal,” and the incomplete construction “Although, self-employment might have some drawbacks too because…” The sentence “People also have opportunity” needs an article, and “a self-employed person has to manage all his tasks that can be exhausting” has an unclear relative clause. Work on complete clause structures, articles, and clear sentence boundaries, while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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