Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-13

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 are moving towards cities from rural areas all around the world for better livings. This can create both positive and negative impacts.

If we talk about the cities, the facilities in cities always attract the people to live there and live a better life as compared to rural areas. So, people always find it better to live at those places where they can get an easy life and modern lifestyle. City life gives people chances to grow and find better opportunities for instance education, health and jobs etc.

Moreover, this migration of people from rural areas causes an unnecessary increase in population in cities. Due to this increase in population, numerous things change in the cities such as traffic jams, pollution and congested places etc. These all create a negative impacts on the living standards of the people living in the cities.

Now talk about the impacts of rural life, the development and living standards are one of the main causes of migration of people from rural to cities life, also the facilities and resources are less available in the rural areas as compared to the cities. So people start migrating from rural areas to cities for better living standards and this caused a decrease in the population in the rural areas. Moreover, the agricultural impact has mostly likely to happened because people living in the rural areas are more engaged in agriculture.

To conclude, migration is not a problem because everyone has a right to live a better life. So the inequality among both cities and rural areas creates a problem. All the facilities and development should be available in the rural areas too as present in the cities, as this is the way to make both the areas prosperous

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the positive and negative impacts of rural-to-urban migration. However, the position is somewhat inconsistent; while you acknowledge both sides, the conclusion suggests that migration is 'not a problem,' which contradicts your earlier points about traffic and pollution. The ideas are relevant but remain somewhat superficial. For instance, the impact on agriculture is mentioned but not fully developed with specific consequences. To reach a higher band, ensure your position is clearly stated in the introduction and maintained consistently throughout, while providing more depth to your supporting arguments rather than listing general points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover,' 'For instance,' and 'To conclude.' However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. The transition between the discussion of city life and the return to rural life in the fourth paragraph feels slightly disjointed. Additionally, some sentences lack logical flow, such as the final sentence of the third paragraph. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus will enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'migration,' 'population,' and 'agricultural.' However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'better livings' (should be 'a better life') and 'agricultural impact has mostly likely to happened' (grammatically incorrect and imprecise). To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations and less common vocabulary related to urban planning or socio-economic development. Avoid repeating simple words like 'things' or 'places' and opt for more descriptive alternatives.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the fluency of the text. Examples include 'the facilities in cities always attract the people to live there' (unnecessary 'the'), 'create a negative impacts' (subject-verb agreement error), and 'as present in the cities' (awkward construction). Punctuation is generally functional, but some sentences are slightly clunky. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles. Aim to vary your sentence structures further by using more complex subordinating clauses to demonstrate greater control.

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