Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-27
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)
Rural Areas have their own pace of life. But people have started moving towards the urban cities. Opportunities, Interests and Lifestyle in cities attract a lot of individual in moving out of rural areas. Education, Infrastructure, Medical Facilities, etc. are much more advanced compared to the Rural Areas.
According to me, people moving out is a positive development for them personally, but it increases the population in Urban Areas. Crowd Management, Sewage management are the serious issues which needs to be tackled by government itself. Travelling is one of the most important problem that is faced by the people in the city.
For example If a person is facing a serious medical issue doesn't have the facility in the rural area has to go to urban city to get their treatment done.
If we compare both side, Rural Areas doesn't have many facilities but they do have is Fresh Air, Greener environment, beautiful landscapes, fresh fruits and vegetables to eat, cattle and farming, etc. Decreasing population in rural areas is a serious issue as of now because young individuals move towards urban developed or developing cities to find a right job for them and then they move in with their families as soon as a get a good one. It gives them a chance to earn good income.
People who retire or have a dream to travel always tend to move towards rural areas because of the peace it has to offer. The issues like transportation, crowd, sewage, safety are less or none there and people usually spend the rest of their lives living peacefully.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
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 not consistently maintained throughout the essay. While you acknowledge the benefits for individuals, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the mention of 'crowd management' and 'sewage' is relevant, but these points are not fully explored or supported with sufficient depth. To improve, ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and that your arguments are extended with more detailed explanations or concrete examples rather than just listing factors.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical flow between ideas is sometimes disjointed. The transition between the benefits of cities and the drawbacks of rural depopulation is abrupt. While you use some cohesive devices, they are often repetitive or used in a mechanical way. For example, the use of 'If' to start sentences is frequent, which limits the variety of your linking structures. Improving the use of transition signals (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'on the other hand') would help guide the reader more effectively through your arguments.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band score. You rely on basic terms like 'good income' or 'serious issue' repeatedly. There are also some minor collocation errors, such as 'attract a lot of individual' (should be 'individuals') and 'the most important problem that is faced by the people' (which is slightly wordy). To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to urbanization, such as 'socio-economic development', 'infrastructure strain', or 'demographic shift'.
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 the flow. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('Rural Areas doesn't have', 'sewage management are the serious issues which needs') and awkward phrasing ('doesn't have the facility in the rural area has to go'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. To improve, focus on mastering subject-verb agreement and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed with correct relative clauses and conjunctions.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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