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)

Moving from rural areas to urban cities is getting very common in many countries for more opportunities but beside this there are various threats of this movement so we cannot simply say that it only negative or positive development.

Its true that due to this movement the population is decreasing in countryside but there are other multiple setbacks which many countries face due to it. The biggest drawback is that due to overpopulation in cities there is increasing amount of global warming as more transport is used so governments are suffering to keep environment safe and clean for citizen. Furthermore, due to less number of people in rural areas government will not focus on these areas so they will get further deprived from basic facilities like good hospitals, school, colleges etc which will increase poverty and loss of economic growth.

On the other hand these migrations in different countries plays vital and positive role in development. Majorly, there is more job opportunities in urban areas which will reduce unemployment in country and improve the standard of living of people. As a result there is increase in collection to tax revenue for government and encourage them to invest them in development of countryside areas to boost economy further.

In my opinion this migration effects country in both positive and negative way but I think governments of different countries should analyze themselves that whether it has more disasters or not, if they will find the problems in it then they should work on the solutions like providing primary facilities in rural areas.

Overall, taking one viewpoint will be more biased and unfair so the the migration is useful until or unless it does not create any problems. There is negative and positive aspects of both moving or not but calculating ratio of consequences will decide whether it is positive or negative development.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both positive and negative aspects of rural-to-urban migration. However, the position is somewhat inconsistent; while the introduction suggests a balanced view, the conclusion remains vague by stating that the impact depends on the 'ratio of consequences' rather than taking a clear stance. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of global warming and economic development, but they are not fully developed. For instance, the link between migration and global warming is asserted but lacks a clear logical explanation. To improve, ensure you maintain a consistent position throughout the essay and provide more detailed, specific examples to support your arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Furthermore', 'On the other hand', and 'As a result', though some transitions feel a bit mechanical. There are instances where the flow is slightly hampered by repetitive phrasing, such as the repeated use of 'due to' in the second paragraph. Additionally, the final paragraph is somewhat repetitive and does not effectively synthesize the arguments presented earlier. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'overpopulation', 'unemployment', and 'economic growth'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'governments are suffering to keep environment safe' and 'analyze themselves that whether it has more disasters'. To reach a higher band, the student should focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and improving collocations to sound more natural and sophisticated.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the' is often missing or misused, e.g., 'in country', 'in the countryside'), subject-verb agreement ('migration effects'), and punctuation. Some sentences are slightly clunky, such as 'the migration is useful until or unless it does not create any problems'. The student demonstrates an ability to construct complex sentences, but the frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for article usage and verb forms would significantly improve the accuracy.

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