Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-18

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 5.0)

One of the most conspicuous trends in today's world is colossal upsurge in the number of people believing that across the globe generation is shifting from rural areas to urban areas. There is a widespread worry that it will lead to myriad of concerns in one's life.

There are number of arguments in favor of my stance. The most important is population, migration etc. However, will be covering informal aspect of topic with help of example, People migrate to metropolitan in search of handsome salary, high professional jobs, good lifestyle, excellent education, high standard of living and as numbers increase is directly proportional to air, sound pollution, traffic, major water loggings, sewerage problems. high crime rate results in fast and high-pressure life leads to stress and other medical diseases with lot of factors Due to infinite number of options in cities migration takes place resulting in low migrants at country side.

Although on the other hand less population is directly proportional to greener environment result in pure air quality, less vehicles, low chances of medical, pure organic food option fresh dairy product no packed and preservatives make life peaceful zero stress increase healthy lifestyle but no opportunities in the villages areas hence, result in decreasing population. In both above cases one side has positive and other side have negative impact.

After pondering above reviews, in favor of both formal and informal aspects also mentioned details views with help of suitable examples provided to satisfy both aspect, formal is linked with good option and informal linked with less option to attain good life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to address the prompt but fails to maintain a clear position. While you mention both positive and negative aspects, the task requires you to argue whether the trend is a positive or negative development overall. Your conclusion is neutral, stating that both sides have impacts, which does not fully satisfy the requirement to take a stance. Furthermore, the ideas are presented in a list-like fashion without sufficient development or logical support. For example, the list of city problems (air, sound, traffic) is not linked to a cohesive argument, and the transition between ideas is abrupt, making it difficult for the reader to follow your reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is divided into paragraphs, but the internal structure is weak. There is a lack of logical progression; sentences often feel like disconnected fragments rather than a cohesive argument. Cohesive devices are either missing or used incorrectly, such as the phrase 'Although on the other hand' which is redundant and confusing. The referencing is also unclear, particularly in the final paragraph where you refer to 'formal and informal aspects' without having clearly defined these terms earlier. The overall flow is disjointed, which hinders the reader's ability to follow your train of thought.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

You demonstrate a limited range of vocabulary, often relying on repetitive or imprecise phrasing. While you attempt some academic-sounding words like 'conspicuous' and 'upsurge', they are often used in unnatural collocations, such as 'colossal upsurge in the number of people believing that... generation is shifting'. There are also issues with word choice, such as 'major water loggings' and 'medical diseases', which are not standard English collocations. To improve, focus on using vocabulary that accurately conveys your meaning in a natural way rather than using complex words that may not fit the context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains frequent grammatical errors that often impede communication. There are significant issues with sentence structure, such as run-on sentences and fragments (e.g., 'The most important is population, migration etc.'). You struggle with basic subject-verb agreement and article usage, such as 'in search of handsome salary' (missing article) and 'result in low migrants at country side' (incorrect preposition). Complex sentence structures are attempted but are usually faulty, leading to confusion. You need to focus on mastering basic sentence construction and ensuring that your subjects and verbs agree before attempting more complex grammatical forms.

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

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