Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-25

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 5.0)

In present tenure people like to be self employed , rather than to work for company or organuzation due to different factors and it has many advantages & disadvantages too .

Being Self employed is very advantageous because you are not bound ti anyone and you're boss of you . You have free will to work anytime not restricted to specific working hours. You can take any decisions & become more confident about your work . Apart from that you're income is much more when you're self employed so being self employed is more benefial rather than to work for a company .

On Contrary , there are some distadvantages of being self employed , When you're working for a company that time you are in a safe zone because you know well that you have to work these specific hours in return you can get a fixed amount & you have already decided your expenses as per your income whereas , when you are self employed you have to take pain of your work all time because you are responsible for loss and profit . Moreover , when you're self employed it would be more stressful for you to handle all tasks by yourself either you're healthy or sick you have to manage your task specially if you're on early stage of being self employed and time managment is the key factor but being self employed I have found lots of people that they work more and they can't manage time , it would become difficult for them to create a balace between their personal and professional life . So, I believe being self employed is more difficult .

Conclusion : Either Self Employed or you work for company bot have their own Pros & Cons .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both questions: you suggest that self-employment offers freedom over working hours and decisions, and you discuss financial uncertainty, responsibility, stress, and work–life balance as disadvantages. However, the reasons for choosing this path are only briefly stated, and the claim that income is “much more” is not explained or supported. The disadvantages receive more attention, but several points are repeated rather than developed with a specific example. Your conclusion says both options have pros and cons, yet does not clearly summarise your view. To strengthen the response, explain why people value independence or flexibility and support key points with a relevant example. The required length is met.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph on advantages, a paragraph on disadvantages, and a conclusion. This helps the reader follow the broad direction of your answer. However, progression within the longer disadvantages paragraph is uneven: financial security, responsibility, stress, time management, and personal life are joined in one extended sequence. Connectors such as “Moreover,” “whereas,” and “So” are used, but some links feel mechanical or do not clearly show how one point follows from another. The conclusion is also very brief and does not bring the main ideas together. Use separate paragraphs for distinct disadvantages and make each transition express a clear relationship between ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “fixed amount,” “responsible for loss and profit,” “time management,” and “personal and professional life.” However, the range is limited and several expressions are inaccurate or awkward, which sometimes makes the reader pause. Examples include “present tenure,” “safe zone,” “take pain of your work,” and “create a balace.” Spelling errors such as “organuzation,” “distadvantages,” and “benefial” are also noticeable. Aim for more precise collocations and check spelling carefully; for instance, describe income as “more predictable” rather than a “fixed amount” when discussing employment security. This would make your meaning clearer and your vocabulary more appropriate to an academic essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences with clauses, such as the sentence beginning “when you're self employed you have to take pain of your work all time because…”. However, complex sentences are often difficult to control, and frequent errors affect clarity. Examples include “you are not bound ti anyone and you're boss of you,” “you're income,” and “Either Self Employed or you work for company bot have their own Pros & Cons.” There are also problems with articles, sentence boundaries, and punctuation, particularly in the long sentence about stress and time management. Practise building accurate sentences with one main idea and a clearly connected supporting clause. Check subject–verb agreement, possessives, and articles before submitting.

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