Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Self - employment has become a worldwide trend which has influenced alot of people to quit their 9-5 job and start up a business. The main idea behind self - employment is to be your own boss rather than someone else giving you orders in a company or organisation, people are tired of doing other people's work with not much appreciation or benefits in return. Some employers are harsh with their employees and use their superior powers to get their work done which creates a stressful work environment for the workers and that is not something any person would want or deserves, being a boss doesn't mean u have to be rude with the subordinates around you but instead a boss should be someone who leads the team to achieve the company's goal with full determination and support.

But since it isn't the case in many organisations, people are leaning more towards to start up their own business where they can be their own boss and be a better example for others. It is undoubtedly a big step because as much as there are advantages of having your own business, it can have as many as such disadvantages as well maybe even more. Starting up a business requires alot of capital which not many people have and this is something which they struggle with in the beginning, and even after they have araanged the capital, there is a huge risk because all of it will be invested for the start up with no guarantee of any return on investment. Sometimes people arrange capital by taking up bank loans for which they have to return on time with a heavy interest, and if u don't have the money to repay them back on time then there might be consequences to it which can affect your civil score. So the biggest disadvantage to being self - employed is that as much as u can enjoy profits, you have to also be the one to bear the losses.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both questions and maintain a clear explanation: people may seek independence and escape harsh or unappreciative workplaces, while self-employment brings financial risk. The discussion of start-up capital, uncertain returns and loan repayments is relevant and gives the disadvantages useful detail. However, the reasons for choosing self-employment are less fully developed than the financial drawbacks; for example, the point about wanting to be one’s own boss could be supported with a concrete benefit such as flexible hours or choosing clients. The claim that people are “tired of doing other people’s work” is also broad and would be stronger with a specific example. More balanced development and clearer supporting examples would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a coherent overall structure: the first paragraph explains possible motivations, and the second turns to the risks. Linking phrases such as “But since it isn’t the case” and “as much as” help connect the discussion, and the final sentence gives the disadvantages a clear summary. However, the first paragraph contains several ideas joined into one long sentence, so the relationship between workplace treatment and the definition of good leadership becomes difficult to follow. The second paragraph also moves quickly from start-up costs to loans and credit consequences. Use clearer sentence boundaries and organise each paragraph around a smaller number of connected points. More precise referencing would also help readers follow what “it” and “them” refer to.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “self-employed,” “capital,” “return on investment,” “stressful work environment” and “bear the losses.” These terms allow you to discuss both workplace motivations and financial disadvantages. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, although some expressions are imprecise or informal: “superior powers” is not a natural collocation here, and “civil score” may not clearly communicate the intended financial consequence. Repeated use of “boss,” “business” and “capital” also limits variety. Choose more precise terms for workplace authority and creditworthiness, and check spelling and standard written forms such as “a lot” and “arranged.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses with “because,” “which” and “as much as,” and the main meaning is generally understandable. However, some sentences are overloaded or joined incorrectly. For example, “...in a company or organisation, people are tired...” links two complete ideas with only a comma; split this into separate sentences or use a suitable conjunction. There are also inconsistent pronouns and forms such as “u” and “you,” and “if u don’t have the money ... then there might be consequences to it” would benefit from a more controlled conditional structure. Review punctuation, sentence boundaries and consistent formal pronouns to improve accuracy while retaining your attempts at complex grammar.

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