IELTS Task 2 sample essay: Self-Employment
Advantages / disadvantagesWork
The question
More people are choosing to work for themselves rather than for a company. Do the advantages of self-employment outweigh the disadvantages?
Try writing your own answer first, then compare. Reading a model before you write tends to make you copy it.
The plan
Position: Advantages outweigh disadvantages for those with savings and in-demand skills; the risks are serious for others.
- Advantages: independence, flexibility, keeping the profits.
- Disadvantages: irregular income, no sick pay or pension, isolation.
Model answer
268 wordsA growing number of people are leaving traditional employment to work for themselves. For people with in-demand skills and some financial security, I believe the advantages of self-employment outweigh the disadvantages, although the risks can be serious for those without either.
The greatest attraction of working for oneself is independence. Self-employed people decide which projects to accept, when to work and how to do the job, rather than following a manager's instructions. This control is especially valuable for parents and carers, who can arrange their work around family responsibilities. There is also a financial incentive: a successful freelance designer or electrician keeps the full value of their work, rather than a salary set by an employer, and can raise their prices as their reputation grows.
The disadvantages, however, are substantial. Income is often irregular, with busy months followed by quiet ones, which makes it difficult to plan or to borrow money for a home. Self-employed workers usually receive no paid holiday or sick pay, and they must arrange their own pension, which many neglect. Working alone can also be isolating, and without colleagues there is no one to share problems or ideas with.
Whether the benefits outweigh these risks depends largely on preparation. Someone who builds savings to cover several quiet months, and who has skills that clients regularly need, can enjoy the freedom with far less danger than someone pushed into self-employment by a lack of other jobs.
In conclusion, self-employment offers independence, flexibility and the chance to earn more. For those who prepare carefully and have skills in demand, these advantages outweigh the insecurity it brings.
Scored by the MyBandPrep checker on 7 October 2026. An estimate, not an examiner’s mark. How scoring works
Why it works
- Task Response
- Answers “outweigh” with a conditional verdict, explained by the fourth paragraph rather than simply asserted.
- Coherence and Cohesion
- Clear progression from advantages to disadvantages to the factor that decides between them.
- Lexical Resource
- Natural, precise language: “in-demand skills”, “irregular income”, “financial incentive”.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
- Accurate complex sentences, including comparative structures and relative clauses.
Phrases worth reusing
- in-demand skills
- the greatest attraction of working for oneself
- a financial incentive
- Income is often irregular
- pushed into self-employment
Now write your own
Answer this question in 40 minutes and get an estimated band with the sentences to fix.