Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-06

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In many countries around the world, rural people are moving to cities, so the population in the countryside is decreasing.

Do you think this is a positive or a negative development?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

 

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The people of rural areas are migrating towards cities, this has been happening in many countries of the world. So the population is decreasing in rural areas. Although it has positive impact, it also has negative effects on the cities. When people move towards the cities, they may have access the basic facilities and employmet opportunities. In the contrast, there will be population explosion which has a burden on resources. I strongly believe that its positive effects outweigh the negative impacts, The details of arguments are given in the following paragraphs.

On the one hand, If individuals migrate towards cities, they may have access the basic facilities including quality education and good health. In addition, these basic needs or facilities play a significant role in improving the standard of the living which is a good indicator of development of any country. Furthermore, people may have more employment opportunities. When they have chance of getting more jobs, it can increase their level of personal income. As a result, the standard of the living will be improved. Although migration is an essential element for improving the living standard, it also disturbs the life of citizens. The detail is given in the next paragraph.

The migration of the people from rural to urban areas has a considerable negative effect on the cities. When people move to the cities, there may be a population explosion which is a burden on resources. Consequently, states may not provide the basic facilities to all, and individuals can be affected in terms of health, education and etc.

In a nutshell, the migration of the individuals play a crucial role towards the access of basic facilities like education, health and etc. Furthermore, it is also a source of providing more employment opportunities. In the contrast, there may be population explosion in urban areas and it has a burden on the resources.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you believe the benefits of rural-to-urban migration outweigh its drawbacks. You address both sides, explaining that city residents may gain access to education, healthcare and jobs, while rapid population growth can strain resources. These are relevant points, but they are not developed evenly or in enough detail. For example, the benefits are repeated in the introduction, body and conclusion, while the negative side is supported mainly by the general claim that services may not reach everyone. The response also focuses largely on effects on migrants and cities rather than explaining what the decline in rural populations means. Develop each main point with a specific consequence or example, and make the link between your evidence and your overall judgement more explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for benefits and drawbacks, and a conclusion. The reader can follow the main contrast, and signposts such as “On the one hand” and “In a nutshell” help indicate the stages of the argument. However, some linking is mechanical or repetitive: “In addition,” “Furthermore,” and “As a result” appear in a list-like sequence, while “The detail is given in the next paragraph” comments on the essay structure rather than advancing the argument. The conclusion also repeats points already made without drawing them together. Improve progression by making each paragraph develop one central idea and using references and transitions that show how the ideas relate.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “basic facilities,” “employment opportunities,” “population explosion,” and “standard of living.” These expressions make the subject clear, and some choices, such as “considerable negative effect,” show an attempt to use more formal language. However, several noticeable word-choice, collocation and spelling problems reduce precision: “access the basic facilities” needs a different grammatical collocation, “In the contrast” is unnatural, and “employmet” is misspelled. “Population explosion” is also repeated and can sound overstated for a general increase. Aim for more natural combinations and vary repeated terms, for example by using “urban population growth” or “pressure on public services.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional structures such as “When they have chance of getting more jobs, it can increase their level of personal income” and a concessive clause beginning “Although migration is an essential element…”. Meaning is generally understandable, but some errors in sentence construction, agreement, articles and punctuation remain. The opening joins two independent clauses with a comma, and “I strongly believe … impacts, The details…” has an incorrect capital after a comma and an awkward sentence boundary. Other examples include “people may have access the basic facilities,” “the standard of the living,” and “the migration … play,” where grammatical patterns or agreement are inaccurate. Practise accurate clause boundaries and article use, while checking subject–verb agreement in longer sentences.

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