Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-05

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)

People believe that an increase in the population of cities has a positive effect on development. Many cities are more crowded than rural regions. In my opinion, this is not beneficial for a country every time. Therefore, I do not agree with this opinion.

Because when the population grows in a city, resources are likely to run out quickly, especially water. People are harmful consumers. They do not care about the environment and natural resources. They only care about themselves. This means people are selfish most of the time.

For example, they buy things that they do not need, and they do not use their products or clothes. Sometimes, they throw away their clothes easily. When the population of cities increases, this situation gets worse day by day.

Another problem is trash. There is a lot of trash on every corner because people consume everything quickly. I think this situation is the worst problem in big countries because it is not beneficial for people's health, and this pollution poses a serious threat to health every day. Furthermore, this pollution affects animals at the same time. They live on the streets, like cats and dogs, and they die because of trash pollution. This is people's responsibility. They should learn to be friendly and kind to their environment. They should control the population in big cities.

Rural areas need people for work, especially on farms. If everyone moves to cities, production will be disrupted.

This is not good for the country's future development.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the migration to cities is a negative development. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. While you mention resource depletion and pollution, the arguments lack depth and specific examples. For instance, the point about rural labor shortages is introduced at the very end but is not sufficiently explored or linked back to the overall argument. To improve, ensure each paragraph provides a more detailed explanation and a concrete example that supports your main thesis. The response is somewhat simplistic in its approach to a complex socio-economic issue.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite mechanical and repetitive. Phrases like 'Another problem is' and 'For example' are used, but there is a lack of sophisticated linking words to connect ideas within and between paragraphs. The progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed, particularly in the transition between the discussion of consumerism and the impact on animals. Improving the variety of transition signals and ensuring that each paragraph flows logically from the previous one would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. You rely on simple, repetitive words such as 'people', 'bad', 'good', and 'problem'. There is little attempt to use less common or academic vocabulary that would demonstrate a higher level of proficiency. For example, instead of saying 'people are harmful consumers', you could use 'excessive consumption' or 'unsustainable consumer habits'. To achieve a higher band score, try to incorporate more precise terminology related to urbanization, environmental impact, and economic development, and avoid repeating the same words throughout the essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation. For example, 'this is not beneficial for a country every time' is an awkward phrasing, and 'They live on the streets, like cats and dogs, and they die because of trash pollution' is a bit simplistic. There are also issues with article usage and word order. To improve, focus on mastering complex sentence structures, such as using relative clauses or conditional sentences, and proofread carefully to reduce minor grammatical slips.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.