Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-02
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)
It has been observed in the world many people of different nations move from rural areas to urban areas.That's way the population of these countryside decreasing day by day.Overall it can be seen there are some pros or cones of this migration. But in my opinion it has some merits.To prove my arguments, I will give some examples in discussion paragraphs. In terms of detail,now a day many people of different countries migrate from rural areas to cities for different reasons. They leave their houses or their jobs for seeking better jobs with handsome salary in cities.In addition, people living in countryside do not have good opportunities for living .For instance,they do not have basic facilities for living. The people of villages run into cities for getting education or for treatment in hospitals. For example if you are live in village you do not get higher education because there is no college or university.Therefore, you should move in urban areas for getting higher education or for good jobs.Here, you get good quality of life. On the contrary, there are also some darker sides of this view.To begin with, it depicts that by moving in cities areas the population of rural areas is decreasing. this caused negative impact on the country.Also, it has some negative effect on the economy of the country.For example, the people which work on the fields or agriculture lands if they do not work i it can caused major crises on the economic growth. To conclude this,Although, there are some merits or demerits but i believe it has more advantages than disadvantages.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| 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 development of ideas is somewhat superficial. While you mention reasons for migration such as 'better jobs' and 'education', these points are not fully extended with specific, concrete examples. The conclusion is also quite brief and does not effectively summarize the main arguments. To improve, ensure that each body paragraph provides a clear, well-supported argument rather than listing general points. The position is clear, but the overall depth of analysis needs to be increased to reach a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive (e.g., 'In addition', 'For instance', 'To begin with'). Some transitions are awkward, such as 'That's way' (likely meant 'That is why') and 'In terms of detail', which does not fit the context well. The progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed, particularly in the transition between the benefits and the drawbacks. Improving the variety and naturalness of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence will significantly enhance the flow of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on simple, repetitive phrasing such as 'good jobs', 'good quality of life', and 'different reasons'. There are also some word choice errors, such as 'pros or cones' (should be 'pros and cons') and 'run into cities' (a more natural choice would be 'migrate to' or 'flock to'). To improve, try to incorporate more academic collocations and topic-specific vocabulary related to urbanization and socio-economic trends, while paying closer attention to accurate word usage.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede readability. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'population... are decreasing'), missing articles, and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'if you are live in village'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with several instances of missing spaces after periods. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for basic errors and practicing complex sentence structures will be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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