Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-29

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)

Individuals prefer to work in freedom than doing nine to five jobs in recent times. People nowadays don't want to work under someone anymore. Self-employment is more risky in some case and it requires more dedication , focus and hard work that's why it is more preferable to work in a company.

Fresh graduates wants to work from home after their graduation because they don't want to work in corporate sectors for strict rules. Freelancing and outsourcing gets more popular after the Covid-19 pandemic. Individuals prefers to work according to their free time rather than in a fixed time six days a week. There are another reason for this is some influencers are influencing young that they are earning millions just by sitting behind the screen in their bedroom. Without justifying the reality people are jumping into this and get scammed.

There are significant number of risk working independently. The income is not always same it may be more or less some months and sometimes zero. If the plan get failed somehow the individual get depressed and unable to start new work. Moreover, due to lack of proper skills and technical knowledge they didn't get job in a company or organization. As a result, they get bankrupt. Additionally, corporate jobs mostly include health insurance, free trips per year and lots of offer to provide which is another reason to hold a safe place. Working in a teamwork environment helps a person to grow his networking and connection which lacks in self-employment.

To conclude, People wants to earn more by working in home which is little bit true but an exception. Before taking step into career, everybody should appoint a career counsellor.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both questions: you explain the appeal of flexible working and mention risks such as unstable income, scams, and fewer employment benefits. The response also gives a clear overall view that self-employment can be attractive but risky. These relevant points support the task, but some are not fully explained. For example, the claim that graduates avoid corporate rules is stated without showing why independence is preferable, while the influencer example would be stronger with a specific explanation of how unrealistic earnings claims lead people into scams. The disadvantages are more fully covered than the reasons for choosing self-employment. Develop each main idea with a clear cause-and-effect explanation or a relevant example to make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs on reasons and disadvantages, and a conclusion. This makes the main stages easy to identify. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes uneven, and links between ideas can feel mechanical or unclear. For instance, “There are another reason for this” introduces a point awkwardly, and the move from influencers to people being scammed needs a clearer connection. The conclusion introduces career counselling, which has not been developed earlier and does not directly summarise the main arguments. Use clearer topic sentences, connect each example explicitly to its point, and make the conclusion restate the central answer rather than add a new recommendation.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary, including “self-employment,” “freelancing,” “outsourcing,” “income,” “health insurance,” and “networking.” These terms help communicate the topic, and phrases such as “fixed time” and “strict rules” convey the contrast with independent work. However, several word choices and collocations are imprecise or informal, including “work in freedom,” “hold a safe place,” and “jumping into this.” Some repetition of “work” and “people” also limits flexibility. Aim for more natural academic phrasing and precise expressions for financial and employment risks. For example, describe income as “irregular” and explain that self-employed workers may lack “employee benefits.” Check word forms and spelling as well, such as “counsellor” if using British English consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a conditional structure in “If the plan get failed somehow…” and a cause-and-effect sentence beginning “As a result.” The overall meaning is generally understandable, but errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction occur across the response. Examples include “Fresh graduates wants,” “Individuals prefers,” and “the individual get depressed”; these subjects require matching verb forms. The sentence “There are another reason for this” also has an agreement error, while “If the plan get failed” needs a correctly formed passive or active construction. Some sentences join several ideas without clear punctuation. Practise checking subject–verb agreement and building accurate complex sentences before adding further clauses.

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