Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-04

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)

At the beginning of human civilization, the three basic needs of life were food, clothing and shelter. As the human civilization evolves the basic needs of human also tends to change according to the needs, comfortabilities ,financial demand and so on. At early age livelihood of people mainly depends on farming activities and major percentages of people are bound to do it. Due to this there was no city major differences in city or rural places apart from the competitive markets for business as most of them are relied of farming for survival.

In late 1890s or early 1900 ,due to the sudden shift of agricultural society to industrial society by new inventions such as steam railways, telephone , a major shift in employment sector was brought. Due to development of new industries , factories and technologies a lot of workers demand were created causing population shifts from rural to urban or cities areas. People from rural areas started looking for new opportunities and moved to the cities for better employment. This shift was and is mainly a negative development but also has a positive sides.

Nowadays in most countries, there is a common trend of rural people moving to cities. This trend is becoming more and more popular especially among under developed or developing countries mainly to the lack of opportunities, employments and poor healthcare and education system at the rural areas which are slowly and constantly driving people from those areas to look for better employment for themself and their families, more acceptable and healthcare system for their children's.

From different surveys and investigation done by UNICEF, world bank and others NGOs it shows that lack of basic facilities and opportunities are major reasons forcing people to move from their hometown to cities.

But from studies it also show that economic and financial stabilities of people moving from rural to cities changes making them more accessible to better education and healthcare system than those who are still living at rural areas. Mainly competitiveness of people from rural areas are drastically changes making them more self sufficient and more demanding of themselves.

Above discussion shows that lack of employment and basic opportunities are the major drawbacks for rural people moving to cities causing crowded population in cities and less and less in countryside.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the rural-to-urban migration trend. However, the position is not clearly defined or maintained. While you mention that the shift is 'mainly a negative development but also has a positive side,' you do not explicitly argue for one side or provide a balanced, well-supported conclusion. The ideas are somewhat repetitive, particularly regarding the lack of facilities in rural areas. To improve, ensure you take a clear stance in the introduction and provide distinct, well-developed arguments for each side of the debate, rather than listing general observations.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is often hindered by awkward transitions and repetitive phrasing. For example, the transition between the historical context and the modern trend is abrupt. While you use some cohesive devices like 'Due to this' and 'From different surveys,' they are sometimes used mechanically or incorrectly. The referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between ideas could be smoother. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'industrial society,' 'employment sector,' and 'self-sufficient.' However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'comfortabilities' (comfort), 'major percentages of people' (a large proportion), and 'more demanding of themselves' (self-motivated). Additionally, there are minor errors in word formation, such as 'under developed' (underdeveloped). To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and ensuring that collocations are natural and accurate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('basic needs of human also tends to change'), missing articles ('in city or rural places'), and awkward phrasing ('most of them are relied of farming'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma placement. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage.

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