Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-12

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)

Migration of people from less developed areas to highly developed areas have very popular now a days. It is claimed that, countryside people are shifting towards cities in several countries all over the world, and the population is slightly cut off in rural areas. It have both positive and negative development. I will discuss in detail.

To begin with, positive development for moving rural people to cities. Firstly the significant benefit is that the construction of homes and other residential reas are overcomed and it creates more land for growing crops. Secondly, as population in rural areas are decreasing so the consumption of resources such as elecricity, water, gas are also using a bit. Agriculture section may achieve high yeild due to quality of soil, water and air also the main contribution of land. More over, the rural environment experiences better atmosphere for living organism.

Despite the positive features of migration, there are many cons of moving towards cities. At first, when higher population of rural areas are shifted towards cities they face several problems including food, shelter and financials difficulty. Secondly, the major problem is the population due to vehicles smoke, factories sewage that cause many diseases. To cop up with citizens greater number of residences are required and also competing within jobs and resources. In addition, the govt departments also faces difficulity in cooperating with people and providing essential needs.

To conclude with my opinon, moving to cities have positive developnent for rural areas in terms of agriculture land, consumption of resources. While cities with greater number of population creates competiton for daily survial and the more requirement of needs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the question by discussing both benefits and drawbacks of rural-to-urban migration, and your conclusion indicates that you see positive effects for rural areas alongside problems in cities. However, the task asks you to decide whether the development is positive or negative overall, and your position remains unclear: “It have both positive and negative development” is not followed by a firm overall judgement. Some relevant points are identified, such as reduced pressure on rural resources and increased competition for urban jobs, but several are unclear or insufficiently explained. For example, the link between fewer rural residents and “more land for growing crops” needs clarification, and the effects on agriculture are asserted rather than supported. State your overall view clearly and develop fewer points with specific explanations or examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for positive and negative effects, and a conclusion. Sequencing words such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” “Despite,” and “In addition” help readers follow the main sections. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, and connections between ideas are not always clear. For instance, the claim that fewer rural residents reduce resource consumption is followed by a point about soil and agricultural yields without explaining how the ideas relate. The conclusion repeats earlier points rather than bringing them together into a clear answer to the question. Improve cohesion by explaining the relationship between each supporting point and using clearer references, while keeping the paragraph structure.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “population,” “resources,” “agriculture,” “residences,” and “competing,” which helps communicate the subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate enough to make parts difficult to understand. Examples include “residential reas are overcomed,” “financials difficulty,” and “factories sewage.” There are also spelling errors such as “elecricity,” “yeild,” and “difficulity.” Aim to learn common word partnerships and check spelling and word forms carefully. More precise expressions for migration, rural resource use, and urban pressures would make your arguments clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “when” and “while,” and the overall meaning can usually be followed. However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently in basic sentence patterns as well as in more complex attempts. For example, “Migration … have” has subject–verb disagreement, while “It have both positive and negative development” contains errors in agreement and number. The opening of the second paragraph, “To begin with, positive development for moving rural people to cities,” is a sentence fragment. Articles, plurals, and verb forms also need attention. Practise writing complete sentences with one clear main clause, then check agreement and sentence boundaries before adding subordinate clauses.

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