Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-17

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)

At present, people in rural areas are migrating to urban locations for the better employment opportunities and standard of living. While shifting to metropoliton areas give people numerous benefits, I strongly believe that it is to be negative developments.

There are a number of reasons why people moving from rural to cities area are not desirable. One possible reason is that scarcity of accomodation facility in urban areas. When people move to city areas, they may find difficulties to find the living place as city areas are suffering shortage of land due to improper urban planning. In addition, if people from marginalised areas are shifting to cities, it will exceed the total capacity of population that a city can maintain. As a result, city areas will be overcrowded, and government may unable to supply the basic elements, such as, water, gas, electricity and facilities which are complementary for people's lives.

Moreover, agriculture is one of the most popular activities in rural areas and it contributes to the country's economy significantly. Had people are migrating to urban areas, the agriculture sector will face shortage of labour. Therefore, the gross domestic product of these countries will fall dramatically. What is more, by migrating rural to urban areas, people may also compete with others for occupation because there are no abundant of employment opportunities available in urban areas.

In conclusion, since people moving from rural to urban areas create numerous problems, I belive that these developments create negative impact both on society and country's.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that rural-to-urban migration is a negative development. The ideas are relevant, focusing on urban overcrowding and the decline of the agricultural sector. However, the development of these points is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding the 'scarcity of accommodation' is a good start but lacks specific examples or deeper analysis to fully support the claim. The conclusion is present but brief. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more detailed explanations or concrete examples for each main point to ensure the argument is fully extended rather than just stated.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct theme. There is a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'Moreover', and 'Therefore' are used to link ideas, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The progression of ideas is generally clear, though the connection between the final point about employment competition and the overall argument could be smoother. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the overall structure helps the reader follow your line of reasoning without difficulty.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'marginalised', 'scarcity', and 'complementary'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and minor errors, such as 'metropoliton' (spelling), 'accomodation' (spelling), and 'no abundant of employment' (incorrect collocation). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. To improve, focus on using collocations more accurately and proofreading for common spelling mistakes. Expanding your range to include more precise academic vocabulary would also be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'it is to be negative developments' (incorrect verb form), 'Had people are migrating' (incorrect conditional structure), and 'country's' (incorrect possessive usage). While these errors are frequent, they rarely impede the reader's understanding of your message. To achieve a higher score, you need to increase the frequency of error-free sentences and ensure better control over complex grammatical structures, particularly verb tenses and subject-verb agreement.

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

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