Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-30

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 4.0)

Nowadays, many people prefer to work for themselves instead of working for a companyfor a organization. There are several reasons for this trend, including freedom, flexible working hours and the opportunity to earn more money. However, being self-employed also has some disadvantages.

firstly one of the main reasons people chose self employes is that provide freedom and independent. they can work according to the work shuclde

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

You identify relevant reasons for self-employment, including freedom, flexible hours and the chance to earn more, and you begin to explain the freedom to choose when to work. However, the response only starts to address the first question and does not explain the disadvantages at all. The ideas are therefore very limited and largely unsupported; there is no example or developed explanation showing why these benefits matter. The required minimum length is not met, which leaves the task substantially incomplete. To improve, answer both questions directly, develop each reason with a clear explanation or example, and include specific disadvantages such as irregular income or responsibility for finding clients.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The opening gives a basic direction for the response, and the phrase “However” signals that disadvantages will be considered. “Firstly” also indicates an attempt to organise the reasons. However, the response ends before a clear progression can develop: there is no completed paragraph structure, and the disadvantage section is not provided. The transition from the general introduction to the first reason is abrupt, while the final sentence is unfinished, so the relationship between ideas is not fully clear. Use separate paragraphs for the reasons and disadvantages, and connect each point with simple, accurate linking phrases and a concluding sentence.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “self-employed,” “flexible working hours,” “freedom” and “independent.” These terms make the general subject understandable. However, the range is narrow, and several word-choice, word-form and spelling problems reduce clarity, such as “self employes,” “work shuclde” and “for a organization.” The phrase “earn more money” is clear but could be expressed more precisely in an essay. Build a wider set of accurate terms for both benefits and drawbacks, such as “autonomy,” “irregular income” and “financial security,” and check spelling and collocations before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both a longer introductory sentence and a simple explanation of a benefit, showing some ability to form basic sentence patterns. However, grammatical control is uneven, and the final sentence is incomplete: “they can work according to the work shuclde” has no clear completed structure. In “one of the main reasons people chose self employes is that provide freedom,” the clause after “is that” lacks a clear subject, and the verb form and agreement are not controlled. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, particularly at the start of “firstly.” Practise complete clauses, subject–verb agreement and sentence boundaries, then proofread each sentence for a clear subject and verb.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.