Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-28

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)

Many people think that self-employment is better nowadays because it gives us many rights rather than working for a company where we work under supervisors .

In this case , where some people chose to be self-employed gave them many opportunities . They have all rights to work according to their mindset . Therefore , they choose this path where they can many challenges . Those challenges can be investment problem , low customers , markets up and downs . Looking into these disadvantages we can say that disadvantages did not outweigh the advantages .

Additionally, there are some people in society who did not want to work for a company . There can be many reasons like they do not want to work under supervisors , some people have ego problems. So they just start their own organisation where they face many problems. However, they want to built there own empire , so they just invest into the field the are interested in.

To exemplify , the survey conducted by LinkedIn shows us that , after 2010 there are 70% of people in Europe who choose who be self employed but 38% of them failed . They just cannot invest well in the company which led them in a failure .

In conclusion, i reckon that many people who choose to be self-employed are risking their life. But everyone should take that risk and see their ability. Many people got rich by starting there own company or organisation .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions: you suggest that independence and freedom from supervisors attract people to self-employment, and you mention investment difficulties, low customer numbers, and market fluctuations as disadvantages. However, the response only partially develops these points. For example, “all rights to work according to their mindset” gestures towards autonomy but does not explain what this means in practice, while the disadvantages are listed rather than explored. The discussion also becomes unclear when you say the disadvantages “did not outweigh the advantages,” without explaining the comparison or maintaining a clear position. The LinkedIn statistic is relevant in principle, but its connection to the reasons people choose self-employment is not made clear. Develop each main idea with explanation and a directly relevant example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from reasons to disadvantages, an example, and a conclusion. Some linking expressions, including “Additionally,” “To exemplify,” and “In conclusion,” help signal these stages. However, progression within paragraphs is often difficult to follow: the second paragraph shifts from opportunities to challenges and then to a judgement about advantages without clear connections. The next paragraph repeats the point about not wanting supervisors, and “However” does not clearly show a contrast with the preceding idea. Referencing is also sometimes unclear, as in “They just cannot invest well,” where the people or businesses meant by “they” are not precisely established. Organise each paragraph around one main point and use links that show the actual relationship between ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some vocabulary relevant to the topic, such as “self-employed,” “supervisors,” “investment,” and “customers,” so the reader can identify the general subject. However, the range is limited and several expressions are imprecise or unnatural, including “many rights,” “low customers,” and “markets up and downs.” Repetition of “people,” “company,” and “problems” also limits variety. There are spelling and word-form errors, such as “there” for “their” and “self employed,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for more precise business vocabulary and natural collocations, for example, describing “financial risks,” “a small customer base,” or “fluctuations in the market.” Check spelling and word forms carefully, especially in key topic phrases.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentences and subordinate clauses, such as “because it gives us many rights rather than working for a company where we work under supervisors,” but control is inconsistent. Errors in verb forms and sentence construction occur frequently: “people chose to be self-employed gave them” lacks a clear grammatical structure, and “they want to built” uses the wrong verb form. Other examples include “where they can many challenges,” which is missing a verb, and “who choose who be self employed,” where the clause structure is faulty. Punctuation spacing and sentence boundaries are also inconsistent. These errors sometimes make the intended meaning difficult to follow. Practise building accurate simple sentences first, then add subordinate clauses, checking that each clause has a subject and a correctly formed verb.

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