Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-03
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 many countries around the world, people who are living in villages, now they are moving into cities. The population in the cities are increasing it is a positive and negative both in some points.
The rural people are moving into cities are positive in that case, they will get a better job, Education and a good lifestyle but the population will increase inn cities for example the shortage of land annd jobs aswell when all the people will living in cities. However, they will get a higher education level and healthcare problems will be solved, because in cities there are very big and famouse hospital's and school's, universities.
On the othher hand, Government will face alot of problems when the population of cities will increase rapidly. The main and big problem is land when all the rural people move into different cities they will face a shortage of land. In addition, most of the people who lived there life in village and move into cities there education isn't enough and they will face alot of circumstances. The traffic will increase as well already in cities there are alot of traffic problems. If all the villager move into cities then who will be the farmer how we will grow our country .
In conclusion, moving into cities are good because you will get a good education and Healthcare, a better lifestyle as compare to rural area's. At the same there are some disadvantages as i mentioned in my second paragraph government will face some problems, such as land, employment and etc.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by discussing both positive and negative aspects of rural-to-urban migration. However, the position is not consistently maintained; while you mention it is both positive and negative, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the point about 'healthcare problems' being solved is mentioned, but the argument lacks depth. The conclusion attempts to summarize, but the ideas remain under-developed. To reach a higher band, you should ensure each paragraph focuses on a clear, distinct argument supported by more detailed examples or logical reasoning, rather than listing several points briefly.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, 'In that case' is used incorrectly to introduce a point, and 'On the othher hand' is misspelled. There is some repetition of ideas, and the logical flow between sentences is occasionally disjointed. While the paragraphing is present, the transitions between ideas could be smoother to improve the overall progression of the argument. Improving the variety and accuracy of linking words would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. You rely on simple terms like 'big', 'good', and 'problems'. There are also several spelling errors, such as 'famouse', 'othher', and 'annd', which distract from the quality of the writing. While you attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'healthcare' and 'employment', the range is limited. To improve, focus on using more precise synonyms and ensuring correct spelling, as well as learning collocations related to urbanization and socio-economic development.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains 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., 'the population in the cities are increasing'), incorrect pluralization (e.g., 'hospital's and school's'), and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'most of the people who lived there life in village'). Punctuation is also inconsistent. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on sentence construction and proofreading for basic agreement errors is essential.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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