Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-13

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)

Across the world, we have been noticing an increased population in cities due to migration of rural people, leading to a reduced population in the countryside. I strongly agree, this is a positive development featuring the impact of innovation the increasing population will bring to the cities.

Humans migrating to cities carry a will to improve their hectic lifestyle. There is no doubt that cities have more opportunities , advancements as compared to rural areas. Everyone has the right to prove their skills where they are highly valued. This would also help them distinguish between necessities and unnecessary requirements. For example, a doctor working in remote areas will not have exposure or skills as of city because of limited clinical practice due to lower patients in the area.

Another benefit would be the upbringing of the young people. Cities provide better education, health facilites and social life. Many people might not support their families due to financial problems in rural areas due to lower employment rate. However, cities have more opportunites to grow financially and professionally. Although, countryside can be a better place to live as far as the enviornment and a good air quality is concerned. Countryside reports less number of health problems as compared to cities. Life in cities can be stressful due to a hectic schedule, increased traffic and less accessibility to grocery stores and leisure clubs.

From my point of view, living a life in cities changes a person's perspective financially and professionally making an individual more confident and experienced. This will not only keep him physically health but also mentally with a lifelong happiness.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you consider rural-to-urban migration positive, mainly because cities offer more work, professional development, education and healthcare. The examples about a doctor gaining clinical experience and families facing limited rural employment are relevant to the question. You also acknowledge disadvantages of city life, including stress and traffic, which gives the discussion some balance. However, the explanation of how migration benefits cities through “the impact of innovation” is introduced but not developed, and the final claim that city life brings physical health and lifelong happiness is not convincingly supported. Develop these points with clearer cause-and-effect reasoning and explain more directly how the decline in rural populations affects the countryside.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion, with each body paragraph focusing on related benefits and drawbacks. Linking expressions such as “For example,” “However” and “From my point of view” help signal relationships between ideas. However, progression is not always smooth. The second body paragraph moves from young people’s upbringing to employment, then shifts to environmental advantages and city disadvantages, so its central focus becomes unclear. Some connections are also awkward, particularly “Although, countryside can be a better place…” and the transition from this concession to the final positive conclusion. Group supporting points more consistently and use transitions that show whether you are adding a reason, giving an example or conceding a drawback.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary, including “clinical practice,” “employment rate,” “financially and professionally,” and “perspective,” which helps communicate the main ideas. There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “limited clinical practice” and “accessibility.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: “increased population in cities” would be more naturally expressed as “growing urban populations,” while “a good air quality” and “lower patients” are imprecise. Spelling errors such as “facilites,” “opportunites” and “enviornment” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, natural collocations and proofread spelling; this will make your ideas clearer without requiring more complicated vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including relative clauses (“a doctor working in remote areas…”) and contrast clauses (“Although, countryside can be…”). Most of the meaning remains understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “I strongly agree, this is a positive development” joins two independent clauses with a comma, and “This will not only keep him physically health but also mentally” has faulty parallel structure and word forms within the sentence. There are also issues with articles, agreement and punctuation, as in “cities have more opportunities , advancements” and “Countryside reports less number of health problems.” Work on sentence boundaries, balanced “not only…but also” constructions, and article and agreement choices. More accurate control of these patterns would strengthen the range you already attempt.

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