Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-21
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)
All over the world ,people in rural areas are moving to the urban areas. In the result, population in village areas is decreasing. It is a very serious problem, for the people of cities. In my opinion it is a negative development. Below, i will give some reasons to support my position. First of all, i will explain why it is a negative development. When people from rural areas move to the cities they can create some problems for urban people. for instance by going to the rural people to the cities they can decrease the sources of cities people and also they can produce pollution like sound pollution . Secondly, i am explaining the another reason. sometimes there is the changes in behaviour of the people of villages. they can misbehave to the city's people which can cause many serious problems. For example they can fight or something else. Now i am turning to the other part of the statement , in some cases it is also a positive development for village people because cities are much better than villages when it comes to education, shopping and some other opportunities .Here i would like to write my personal experience. In my childhood we were living in the village but when i have grown up my parents move from village to the cities just because of my better future . To recapitulate, i will write , although it is a problem for the people of cities, when rural area's people move their. but it is also a positive effect for rural areas. In my opinion , it has both positive and negative effects.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the negative and positive aspects of rural-to-urban migration. However, the development of ideas is limited. The arguments regarding 'sources of cities' and 'behaviour of the people' are vague and lack sufficient elaboration or concrete evidence. While you mention your personal experience, it is not fully integrated into a cohesive argument. To improve, you should focus on providing more detailed explanations for your points and ensuring that the position remains clear throughout the essay. The conclusion attempts to balance the two sides, but the overall development remains somewhat superficial.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed. You use basic cohesive devices like 'First of all' and 'Secondly', but these are used in a mechanical way. There are issues with referencing; for example, 'in the result' is an incorrect collocation, and the transition between the negative impacts on cities and the positive impacts on individuals is abrupt. The use of punctuation is inconsistent, which occasionally disrupts the flow of the text. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally limited and repetitive. You rely on basic terms like 'problems', 'people', and 'good'. There are several instances of awkward word choices, such as 'decrease the sources of cities people' and 'produce pollution like sound pollution'. These inaccuracies sometimes make it difficult to grasp the exact meaning of your argument. To improve, you should aim to use more precise vocabulary related to the topic, such as 'urbanisation', 'infrastructure', 'socio-economic', or 'demographic shifts'. Expanding your range of collocations will help you express your ideas with greater clarity and sophistication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Common issues include incorrect article usage ('the cities', 'the village'), subject-verb agreement ('my parents move' instead of 'moved'), and awkward phrasing ('by going to the rural people to the cities'). Punctuation is also problematic, with spaces missing after commas and periods. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors prevents the text from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading your work to correct basic tense and preposition errors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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