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 recent times, many people across the world have migrated to the urban areas and the population of the cities has grown significantly. I believe that, it is a negative development because cities may become overcrowded and the need for the housing may be increased. while, individuals may get modern facilities such as advance healthcare and education systems.

To begin with, one of the main disadvantages of this migration is that cities may be overpopulated. Although citizens may get best facilities, the prices of the housing would be rise considerably. Additionally, the usages of public transport would also increase, it will lead to the rush of people in hospital and schools. For example, in Pakistan the population of cities has surged in the recent years and only 25% public live in country sides. As a result, it will create financial burden on governments for the allocation of resources and managing the rapid growth of cities population.

One of the main advantages of this development is that, families will provide their children state of the art schools and colleges, which may lead a country have a higher level of skilled workers, which contribute to the economic development of the countries. Moreover, public will have a access of modern healthcare facilities, people may get emergency treatment as soon as possible; Nevertheless, the rural areas are lacking in under developing countries.

In conclusion, although moving a city may have a beneficial impact on public, it will create financial burden on the governments. I think that, the advantages of moving cities far outweigh its disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the positive and negative aspects of rural-to-urban migration. However, the position is inconsistent. In the introduction, you state it is a 'negative development', but in the conclusion, you argue that the advantages 'far outweigh its disadvantages'. This contradiction makes your overall stance unclear. While you provide relevant ideas such as housing pressure and access to education, some points are under-developed. For instance, the mention of rural areas lacking facilities in developing countries is a good point, but it is not fully linked back to the main argument. To improve, ensure your position is clearly stated in the introduction and maintained consistently throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices like 'To begin with', 'Additionally', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as the use of 'while' at the end of the first paragraph, which creates a sentence fragment. Referencing is generally clear, but the flow between ideas could be smoother. For example, the transition between the discussion of housing prices and public transport is a bit abrupt. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence flows naturally into the next will help elevate your score in this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'migrated', 'overpopulated', 'allocation of resources', and 'economic development'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'the usages of public transport' (usage of public transport) and 'public will have a access' (the public will have access). Additionally, 'under developing countries' is not the standard term; 'developing countries' is more appropriate. While you attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary, the errors occasionally distract from the message. Focus on learning common collocations to improve precision and naturalness in your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'the need for the housing may be increased' (the need for housing may increase), 'prices of the housing would be rise' (prices would rise), and 'lead a country have' (lead a country to have). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage after introductory phrases. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they are frequent enough to impact the overall fluency. You should focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of modal verbs to improve your accuracy.

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

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