Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-15

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)

Nowadays, there is an increment of population in the cities as people from rural areas are moving from their countryside home to urban locations. This helps with developing and bringing advancement in the cities however, I believe this is a negative development as the countryside remains underdeveloped and over population in towns arise problems like, excess waste, air pollution etc.

Many people are migrating to various cities especially from the countryside. This reduces the human labor required to build a place. For instance, the cities are getting advanced in all aspects while the village are moving backwards. Cities like Kathmandu and Pokhara have the most population in Nepal compared to other rural areas but due to this many rural villages are not able to get basic necessities like medicine, food, clothes, education etc. Thus, cities are getting advanced while the rural places are having a negative growth.

There are also many problems faced by overpopulated cities. More people means use of more land, space and resource which exploits our nature and increases various environmental hazards such as air pollution, land exploitation, noise pollution etc. To illustrate, majority of the metropolitan cities in the world are most likely to be polluted and crowded which increases diseases like various cancers, mental health issues etc. Therefore, imbalance in population not only affects the countryside but also the cities.

To conclude, I believe that cities are developing every single day due to the major human forces, however, the imbalance of the number of people residing in towns and villages bring more harm to both places.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the migration is a negative development. You provide relevant reasons, such as the underdevelopment of rural areas and the environmental strain on cities. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the point about 'human labor' in villages is mentioned but not fully explained in terms of its long-term economic impact. To reach a higher band, ensure that each supporting point is fully explored with more depth and specific analysis rather than listing several consequences in a single sentence. The conclusion is a bit brief and could better synthesize the main arguments presented in the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices such as 'For instance,' 'To illustrate,' and 'Therefore' to link ideas. However, the progression between sentences can sometimes feel mechanical or repetitive. For example, the transition between the discussion of rural decline and urban overpopulation could be smoother. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the use of 'this' at the start of sentences, which occasionally leaves the reader to infer the antecedent. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring clear logical flow between sentences would enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'metropolitan,' 'underdeveloped,' and 'imbalance.' There are some instances of slightly unnatural word choices or collocations, such as 'increment of population' instead of 'population growth' or 'human forces' when referring to migration. Some phrasing is also a bit simplistic, such as 'moving backwards.' While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Expanding your repertoire to include more academic collocations and precise terminology would significantly improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the village are moving,' 'use of more land'), pluralization ('over population'), and punctuation (missing commas in lists). Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'over population in towns arise problems like, excess waste.' These errors do not impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles, and try to incorporate more varied complex sentence structures with greater accuracy.

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

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