Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-26

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 time, country side people are moving to cities this has emerged as a major problem of decrease in population of rural areas in many parts of the world. This has several positive aspects but it comes with some negative impacts to the development, I firmly believe it's a negative development. This essay will outline the both the aspects and disscuss arguments for my opinion.

There are several underlying reasons behind this trend, primary reason reason is lack of infrastructures in rural areas. Due to the fact, countryside are lacking educated manpowers required for development. For example, many rural people leave their hometown for the quality life due to this fact, in village there are only old age people left behind. Consequently, the development is not carried out smoothly in rural areas as compared to cities.

Furthermore, the increase in population in town has led to over use of natural resources. The high number of people in a certain place consumes substantial amount of resources which results in overuse of resources that has side effects on the otherside. Whereas, the resources of countyside is left unused for centuries. For example, the indutries has use all the metals, herbs of town while, herbs and other useful resources are left used . As a results this has affected negatively in the foster of a nation.

Although there are several advantages like good lifestyle of people in town with bright future, but I firmly believe that the negative impacts is significant more.

In conclusion, movement of people fron rural to cities has resulted to negative development. Ultimately, the immigration of people from one place to another should balanced in order maintain effective infrastrucutres.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The essay addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout, arguing that the migration is a negative development. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention the lack of infrastructure and the overuse of urban resources, the arguments lack depth and specific, well-explained examples. For instance, the mention of 'industries using all the metals' is vague and does not clearly support the argument regarding rural-to-urban migration. To improve, ensure that each paragraph provides a clear, logical link between the cause (migration) and the specific negative consequence, supported by more concrete, realistic examples rather than general statements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear introduction and conclusion. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Consequently', and 'In conclusion' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing and repetitive sentence structures. Some transitions feel mechanical, and the logical progression within paragraphs could be tighter. For example, the transition between the lack of infrastructure in rural areas and the resulting 'old age people' is a bit abrupt. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence builds naturally upon the previous one will help improve the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'underlying reasons', 'substantial amount', and 'immigration'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'foster of a nation', 'side effects on the otherside', and 'educated manpowers'. Additionally, there are spelling errors like 'indutries' and 'infrastrucutres'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and ensure that words are used in their correct collocations. Expanding your range to include more sophisticated synonyms for common words will also be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses 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., 'countryside are lacking'), article usage (e.g., 'in village there are'), and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'resulted to negative development'). While you attempt complex sentences, they are often marred by errors in punctuation or syntax. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like missing articles and incorrect verb forms. Increasing the frequency of error-free complex sentences will significantly improve your score in this criterion.

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