Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-24

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)

Migration of people live in rural area to urban area across the world is on rise . The major advantage of it is improving the living standard of individuals , although it has benefits it also have drawbacks such as decreasing the population of countryside . This this intends to detail them in forthcoming paragraphs.

The primary merit of it is people get more educated. To elucidate, individuals who live in village they do not get proper education and some of them remain illiterate because of which they can not improve their standard of living and didn't get good jobs and they remain unemployed for their whole life . For example , as per a recently conducted survey by the 'National Sample Survey' Organisation a significate proportion of people remain uneducated and unemployed . As a result they do not get knowledge about the modern world and new technology.

The major drawback of it is decreasing percentage of people live in village . To explicate, in this modern era people start shifting from rural areas to urban areas just to earn good money but because of this the population of villages start decreasing which leads to reduction of countryside areas and also fields are converted into buildings . For instance, as per a recently publish article in 'Times of India' newspaper more than 40 percent agriculture land converted into apartments and new city home .Thus, it can also effect environment very badly in future.

To conclude, Although there are certain benefits of the topic such as improving lifestyle and get employment and it can leads to increase the contribution of economical situation of the country.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by identifying both advantages and drawbacks, but the position is not fully developed. While you mention that migration improves living standards and education, the argument lacks depth. For instance, the point about education is repetitive and lacks a clear link to the overall development of the country. The conclusion is incomplete and fails to restate your position clearly or provide a final summary of your stance. To improve, ensure each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and that your conclusion synthesizes your main points rather than introducing new, fragmented ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, 'This this intends to detail them' contains a repetition error and awkward phrasing. Transitions between ideas are sometimes abrupt, and the logical progression within paragraphs is hindered by repetitive sentence structures. The conclusion is particularly weak, as it lacks a proper concluding sentence and ends abruptly. Improving the variety of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'in contrast') would help the flow of your arguments.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You rely on basic terms like 'good money', 'good jobs', and 'badly'. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'significate proportion' (significant) and 'economical situation' (economic situation). While you attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'urban areas' and 'agriculture land', the overall range is limited. To reach a higher band, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and avoiding repetitive, simple adjectives.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'it also have drawbacks'), article usage (e.g., 'in village'), and tense consistency (e.g., 'didn't get good jobs'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before commas. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring consistent verb tenses throughout your writing.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.