Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-10
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)
The population of several countires across the world is increasing rapidly. Many rural people are migrating toward developed places like cities. It can creates a lot of issues like the decrease in the number of residents on the countryside and excessive population on the particular city.
Every person have a perspective to grow and people on rural side usually have several disadvantages. They are not being able to have an access to the proper facilities. For instance - a student wants to study in medical carrier but there is not even a single school or univiersity that provides that course. So he either have to migrate to another place or have to change his decision as per the surroundings. This leads to a great level of difference between the rural and urban areas on various aspects .
As per my opinion it should be considered as a negetive development. As it creates an excessive population at a particular place which leads to a large level of unemployment or over employement. It is just a waste of time and money and does not even help in contribution to the GDP of that particular country. For instance- the residents of a countryside village migrates to a well developed city for the facilities like medical facility , eductaion facility and many more.
In conclusion there are many people who have the potential but does not get the chance to show thier talent. So it is thier opinion to move to city or stat at their home place and do something there only.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by identifying the migration trend and taking a position. However, the development of ideas is limited. While you mention the lack of facilities in rural areas and the strain on cities, the arguments are somewhat repetitive and lack depth. For instance, the claim that migration does not contribute to GDP is an assertion that requires more logical support or explanation. The conclusion is also slightly disconnected from the main body, as it shifts focus to individual choice rather than summarizing the overall development. To improve, ensure each paragraph provides a clear, well-supported argument that directly relates to your stated position.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive (e.g., 'For instance' is used twice in a similar way). There are also issues with logical progression; the transition between the second paragraph (reasons for migration) and the third (the negative impact) is abrupt. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the final paragraph where 'it' refers back to the general situation but lacks a strong link to the previous points. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. There are several spelling errors (e.g., 'countires', 'univiersity', 'negetive', 'thier') and some awkward collocations like 'medical carrier' instead of 'medical career' or 'over employement'. While you successfully communicate your ideas, the range of vocabulary is limited to common words. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more topic-specific terminology related to urbanization, infrastructure, and socioeconomic impacts, and pay closer attention to spelling accuracy.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'Every person have', 'It can creates', 'residents... migrates') and article usage (e.g., 'on the countryside'). Punctuation is also problematic, particularly with spacing around hyphens and commas. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to distract the reader. To improve, focus on mastering basic grammatical rules such as pluralization and verb conjugation, and practice proofreading to catch minor slips.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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