Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-11

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)

Its a worldwide issue that people are moving to the cities from villages in search of education, hospitals, job opperetunities and better life style. This urbanization causing multiple problems in both cities and villages. Countryside population is decreasing and this causes lack of food production due to less laboure. While over population in cities is also causing problems of traffic congestion, settlement and health.

Rural areas are the main source of food including wheat, rice, vegetables, fruits, and dairy items. If young people migrate from villages to cities who will care for crops? Farmers due to aging cant put much effort and they cant find laboure for harvesting the crop of wheat and rice. Its not only the matter of finding labour but also its a matter of food production and supply.

In cities over population is a serious issue of traffic congestion. There is a lot of rush on roads, that is also one of the reasons of accidents. Every shop and every restoraunt is over crowded that causes suffocation and spreads diseases. Also people who migrate face health issues due to change of food and water. They also lack resources of better living. For example in Pakistan, people who migrated from village to Lahore and Karachi are facing many problems of settlements and quality of life.

In conclusion, population in the countryside is decreasing and its a serious worldwide issue that can be resolved by governments. They should provide educational institutes, hospitals, transportation and job oppertunities to villagers also. This way the chances of migration can be controlled.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by identifying the migration as a negative development, focusing on food security and urban overcrowding. However, the position is not clearly stated in the introduction; it merely describes the situation rather than taking a firm stance. While the ideas regarding agricultural labor and urban congestion are relevant, they are somewhat under-developed. The conclusion introduces a solution (government intervention), which is a good addition, but the overall argument lacks the depth required for a higher band. To improve, ensure your introduction clearly states your opinion and expand on your supporting points with more specific analysis rather than just listing problems.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central theme. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and limited. For instance, the transition between the introduction and the first body paragraph is abrupt. There is a reliance on simple conjunctions like 'and' or 'also' to link ideas. To improve, try using a wider variety of linking words and phrases such as 'consequently,' 'furthermore,' or 'in contrast' to create a smoother flow between sentences and paragraphs. Additionally, ensure that referencing (e.g., 'this,' 'these') is used more precisely to connect ideas across sentences.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision expected at higher levels. There are several spelling errors, such as 'opperetunities,' 'laboure,' and 'restoraunt,' which indicate a need for more careful proofreading. The word choice is generally functional but repetitive, relying on basic terms like 'problems' and 'issues.' To reach a higher band, you should aim to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to the topic, such as 'urbanization,' 'infrastructure,' 'agricultural output,' or 'socio-economic challenges,' and ensure that you are using these terms accurately in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Common issues include missing articles (e.g., 'in search of education'), subject-verb agreement errors (e.g., 'Farmers... cant put'), and punctuation mistakes, particularly with apostrophes (e.g., 'Its' instead of 'It's'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, specifically the correct use of articles, pluralization, and contractions. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures while ensuring they remain error-free will also help boost your score.

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

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