Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-27
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)
Alot of people nowadays want to be self-employed, rather than working for a comapany or organization. This is maily because people wnat to work independently without working under someone. We will also disscus disadvantages of self-employment in this essay.
On the one hand, people are increasingly shifting towards self employment instead of working under a company or organization. This is mainly because people like the freedom it provides when working alone. Furthermore, most people can work on their own term, and accept projects they like and also work at their own prefered time. For example, Employees who work under a company mostly face issues travelling to the office due to long distance as a result they have to wake up extra early and bear the cost of traveling. However, the people who have their own businesses and are self-employed can create business around their houses and can easily work from their homes according to their convenience.
On the other hand, people who work by themselves, often face difficulties because they have to manage everything by their own. People who work for companies get mentorship from their seniors and their colleagues. However, the people who manage their own business or work alone on any project they have to face every challange by themselves without any help from others. For example, In today's developing era most of the work is replaced by the artificial intelligence, selft-employed people face constant risk of low business and reducing number of projects as a result they may not be able to have steady source of income.
In conclusion, Although, there are many perks in self-employment but there are also many risks and disadvantages. Those peole who are not dedicated and are not up to the trends in technology and business may face difficulties due to overwhelming compitition in different sectors.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
The response addresses both questions and maintains a clear overall position: independence and flexibility attract people, while managing work alone and uncertain income are disadvantages. The examples about working from home and AI reducing projects make the discussion relevant. However, some points are more fully explained than others. The freedom to choose projects and working hours is clear, but the commuting example focuses more on employees’ inconvenience than on why self-employment is attractive. The disadvantage of having to handle challenges alone could also be developed with a specific consequence, such as limited access to advice or difficulty managing finances. The conclusion adds competition and keeping up with technology, but these points would be stronger if linked more explicitly to the earlier discussion.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5
The essay has a coherent overall arrangement, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the reasons and disadvantages, and a conclusion. Signposting such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” helps readers follow the main stages. Within paragraphs, ideas generally progress from a claim to an explanation or example. Some connections are less smooth: the commuting example shifts attention from the benefit of independence to employees’ travel problems, and the AI example introduces a new risk without much explanation of how it affects self-employed workers. Linking phrases are also somewhat formulaic, and the opening repeats the task’s wording. Clearer links between each example and its main point, alongside more varied transitions, would make the progression more natural.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The response uses relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “independently,” “mentorship,” “steady source of income,” and “overwhelming competition.” These choices communicate the main ideas, but the range and precision are uneven. Several phrases are awkward or imprecise, such as “work on their own term,” “face every challenge by themselves,” and “low business,” which make parts of the argument less natural. Spelling errors are also noticeable, including “Alot,” “comapany,” “prefered,” and “compitition.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce accuracy and polish. Aim to learn common collocations for employment and business, and proofread carefully for spelling and word forms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
There is a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “because,” “when,” and “although.” Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “Employees who work under a company mostly face issues travelling to the office due to long distance” needs clearer article and number choices, while “they have to face every challenge by themselves” has an awkwardly constructed clause. The sentence beginning “For example, In today’s developing era” also has punctuation and sentence-boundary problems, and the conclusion’s “Although, there are many perks” uses punctuation incorrectly after the subordinating conjunction. More consistent control of articles, plurals, clause structure, and punctuation would improve accuracy while preserving the range of sentence patterns attempted.
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