Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-30

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 5.0)

Around overall the world, people are prefer to move cities for better opportunities to maintain lifestyle. However, the population in rural area getting decrease. It depends on individual. Let's discuss the effects.

Firstly, this is a very common thing that everyone is doing. People are often like to move cities for better lifestyle because it offers better opportunity for basic survival. One of the best thing, city offers better education. Education is crucial element to enhance ability. Education gives knowledge to every individual to grab chances. It is positive development for those who's want a successful life. Moreover, city demands struggle and consistency for lifestyle. On the other hand, city provide more entertainment spots. This is important for cognitive development that enhance knowledge and boost confidence.

On the other hand, this development can cause negative impact on society. As compare to village, cities are more congested and crowded. Also they have very polluted environment which cause several problems. The basic problem is shortage of accommodation because city houses are very congested and provide less area. Which can lead to no privacy at home. Second one is having crowded traffic on roads that can cause severe accidents on daily basis. Water contamination diseases are common like cholera, diarrhea. The movement of people can leathe cou

In overall, that totally depend on preferences. Both have negative and positive impact on society. If government should provide better quality of life in rural areas maybe people are not trying to move cities.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the positive and negative aspects of rural-to-urban migration. However, the position is not clearly maintained throughout; the introduction is vague, and the conclusion does not provide a definitive stance. Several ideas, such as 'cognitive development' and 'water contamination,' are introduced but lack sufficient development or clear connection to the central argument. Furthermore, the response is under the 250-word minimum, which limits the depth of the analysis. To improve, you should ensure each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and that your personal opinion is consistently reflected in the conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay uses basic cohesive devices like 'Firstly,' 'Moreover,' and 'On the other hand,' which help to structure the text. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed, and the paragraphing is not fully effective. The final sentence of the second paragraph is incomplete ('The movement of people can leathe cou'), which disrupts the flow significantly. Additionally, the transition between the positive and negative aspects is abrupt. To achieve a higher band, focus on using a wider range of linking words and ensure that each paragraph develops a single, coherent theme without abrupt endings.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher score. You rely on simple, repetitive phrases such as 'better lifestyle,' 'better opportunity,' and 'better quality of life.' There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'people are prefer to move' (should be 'people prefer to move') and 'grab chances' (which is informal). Some errors, such as the incomplete sentence at the end, also hinder the lexical impact. Expanding your vocabulary to include more academic collocations and synonyms would greatly improve your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('population in rural area getting decrease'), missing articles ('move cities' instead of 'move to cities'), and incorrect verb forms ('who's want' instead of 'who want'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, and the incomplete sentence at the end of the third paragraph is a significant error. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, specifically subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions and articles.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.