Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-25

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)

Yes, urbanization is increasing around the world as many people are moving from rural areas to cities. But this shift is creating lot of problems with more negative effects on development.

As more and more people are migrating to cities for better lifestyle, this increase in population is creating more adverse effects. Lets start with the daily traffic which has increased tremendously and contributing to environmental pollution. Due to this shift, work load has increased in hospitals and doctor patient ratio has distrubed which is compromising our healthcare system. People are more and job offers are less to meet demands so many people are doing low salary jobs for survival.

Now, if we see the positive effects, yes there are few like children can get better education as there are good schools in cities as compared to rural areas. Healthcare facility is also improved in cities with bigger hospitals having recent treatment modalities and more qualified and expert doctors.. But we cant neglect the positive things of rural life like fresh healthy air, no pollution, fresh and natural food which has major role in maintaining healthy lifestyle.

So, I think instead of thinking of migrating to cities, we should focus on how we can improve our living standards in rural areas like how we can improvise our education systems and health care system. We should build good schools, universities and hospitals with all recent and modern equipment. Also attention should be paid to hier good teachers and doctors so we can enjoy the healthy lifestyle of rural areas and get all the basic needs here.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by identifying the migration as a negative development, though the argument is somewhat balanced by acknowledging benefits. The position is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is limited; for example, the point about 'low salary jobs' is mentioned but not fully explained or supported with specific examples. The conclusion provides a relevant suggestion for improvement, which helps in fulfilling the task requirements. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your main points with more detailed explanations or specific real-world examples to demonstrate a deeper understanding of the issue.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. There is an attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Lets start with', 'Due to this shift', and 'Now, if we see the positive effects'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the transition between the negative and positive aspects could be smoother. The use of referencing is generally clear, but the overall progression of ideas could be more sophisticated. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring they are used naturally would enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'urbanization', 'migrating', and 'healthcare system'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'hier good teachers' (should be 'hire') and 'distrubed' (spelling error). The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying on fairly common words. To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and ensure that your spelling is accurate, as these small errors can detract from the overall quality of 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 several grammatical errors, such as 'creating lot of problems' (missing article), 'People are more and job offers are less' (awkward phrasing), and 'we cant neglect the positive things' (missing apostrophe). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of periods and commas. To achieve a higher band, you should aim for more error-free complex sentences and pay closer attention to articles, subject-verb agreement, and punctuation rules.

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

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