Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-11-02

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)

Theses days,it is normally believed that individuals choose to be self dependent on themselves to do their job tan seaching or working for another institute.This can have both advantages and disadvantages.However,in my analysis ,I find that there are more disadvantages than that of advantages.In this essay,I will attempt to present some positive and few negative aspect of this case.

To begin with,there are several merits of being self employed.One of the main reason is that people can work in their own pace without anybody shouting at them.It can be very beneficial for them as they can work stress free.For instance:Person doing job at company should clock on at time but due to some reason they might get late for few minutes.Therefore,they get earful of scolding from higher level.Whereas,while working in own job wont be very stressful as they have their own scheldule nad they can move accordingly.Furthermore,it should also be noted that the profit they get from the work is all for them and not for company.To support this i can give illustration f my own uncle who work independently.While having his office works all his time and effort sacrification was used for company nad giving him 5% of total profit which was seen as very neglience towards the staffs.Consequently, he started his own business and is pleased with his work.

In contrast,despite several positive sides that drawbacks cannot be overlooked.In this regard,I would argue that there is high risk of not gettimg the job done well.As there will be very less helping hand and less brain to think it can be noted that it will definitely be harder ta carry out own job.For example:If a person starts clothing business is trying very hard to grab attention of customer but cannot.The raeson might be he\she is not well aware of the business and the investment goes away wasted.Similarly another thing to consider is that there might be very big competition going on.In enormous market it is hard to find sucess.

In conslusion,with the evidence demonstrated so far,I would the fact by stating that beig self employed has both pros and coms.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions by giving reasons for self-employment—greater control over working time and keeping profits—and disadvantages such as limited support and competition. The uncle’s experience is a relevant example, and your position that self-employment has drawbacks is introduced. However, the response does not consistently develop that position: the introduction says there are more disadvantages, while most of the body explains advantages, and the conclusion only says there are “pros and cons.” The disadvantages are also brief and partly unclear; for example, the clothing-business example does not explain how competition or lack of expertise leads to a specific loss. Develop each main point with a clearer explanation and make your overall view consistent throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for advantages and disadvantages, and a conclusion. Connectors such as “To begin with,” “Furthermore,” and “In contrast” help signal the direction of the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow, particularly in the uncle example, where the relationship between his work, the company’s profit, and his decision to start a business is not clearly expressed. Some linking is mechanical, and references such as “that drawbacks” and “another thing” do not clearly identify the idea being continued. The conclusion also does not bring the argument together. Use clearer topic sentences and explicit links between each claim, explanation, and example.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “self-employed,” “investment,” “competition,” and “profit,” and some phrases communicate your intended meaning. However, the range is limited and errors in spelling, word form, and collocation are noticeable, sometimes making the reader pause. Examples include “self dependent on themselves,” “own pace,” “earful of scolding,” and “very big competition.” Several words appear to be inaccurate choices, such as “neglience” where you seem to mean unfairness or neglect, and “sacrification” for sacrifice. Aim for precise, natural combinations and check spelling carefully. For instance, “work at their own pace” and “face intense competition” would express your ideas more clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “as” and “while,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, the range is limited, and complex sentences are often faulty. Errors in sentence boundaries and punctuation appear throughout, as in “This can have both advantages and disadvantages.However,” while subject–verb agreement and verb forms are also inconsistent: “One of the main reason,” “my uncle who work,” and “there might be very big competition going on.” Articles and sentence construction need attention as well, particularly in “Person doing job at company should clock on at time.” Practise building accurate sentences with one clear main clause, then add subordinate clauses, checking agreement, articles, and punctuation.

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