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)

In many countries, people are moving from rural areas to cities, and as a result, the population of the countryside is decreasing. In my opinion, I believe this is a negative developement because it can create problems for both villages and cities. There are several reasons why people prefer to move to cities.cities provide better oppertunities for education and employment. Young people especially want to find good jobs and earn higher salaries. Cities also have better hospitals, schools, public transport and other facilities. the movement of people to cities can have negative effect When too many people move to urban areas, cities can become overcrowded. This may lead to problems such as traffic jams, pollution, expensive housing and unemployement. In addition, the countryside can lose a large number of young and skilled people. This can reduce agricultural production and make rural areas less developped. Another important issue is that villages may become less active because there are fewer people to work in farms and local businesses. The government should therefore provide better facilites and employment opportunities in rural areas. Good schools, hospitals, internet services and transport can encourage people to stay in their villages. although moving to cities can provide better opportunities, I believe that the overall effect is negitive. Governments should develop rural areas and create more jobs there to maintain a better balance between urban and rural populations

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 urban overcrowding and the decline of rural productivity. However, the essay is 20 words under the 250-word minimum, which limits the depth of your arguments. While you mention the government's role, the ideas could be more extensively supported with specific examples or further elaboration to fully meet the requirements of a Band 7. The under-length nature of the response prevents a higher score, as the development of ideas is somewhat truncated.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use some cohesive devices like 'In addition' and 'Therefore' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and the paragraphing is somewhat basic. The transition between the reasons for migration and the negative consequences could be smoother. To improve, try using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence that directly relates to your central argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'agricultural production', 'overcrowded', and 'employment opportunities'. However, there are several spelling errors, such as 'developement', 'oppertunities', 'unemployement', and 'developped'. These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable. To reach a higher band, you should focus on accuracy in spelling and attempt to incorporate more sophisticated collocations or less common lexical items to show greater precision in your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are consistent issues with punctuation and capitalization, such as starting sentences with lowercase letters ('cities provide...', 'the movement of people...'). There are also minor grammatical slips, such as 'work in farms' (should be 'on farms'). You have a basic grasp of sentence construction, but the lack of attention to mechanical accuracy (capitalization and punctuation) prevents a higher score. Focus on proofreading your work to correct these basic errors.

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

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