Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-04

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 decades several countries around the world, people who live in rural area and now they are moving to develop cities, hence the population in the countryside decreasing and in cities population is increasing. While this trend offers certain advantages. I believe it also brings some drawbacks, making it both a positive and negative development.

On the other hand, In rural area is not developed, therefore people moving to cities. This is because countryside there are not have many opportunities for people, therefore they are sifting to cities because they believe that is modern cities have many industries, which help them to get job. Consequently, rural people significant problem is employment which after moving there they can easily get job. Furthermore, In cities have many hospitals and schools which provide good treatment and quality-education to them. For instance, people who living in village their big concerned is their are not have facilties for patients, if people suffer any disease they cannot take the treatment. People can give good education to their children. As a consequence, people can secure their future in city environment.

On the other hand, the population is rising in cities which is creating a lot of problems. The main reason for this that a large number of indivdiual are living in cities. For that reason, job very high competition, whereas every people cannot get job because there have only limited vacancies in in companies and factories. To illustrate, last year Indian numerous individuals apply in IT sector, but there are only 300 vancies.

To conclude. a large number of people do not have jobs, so they are moving to cities because there are numerous career options and hospitals and quality education have in city. However, cities over exploitation there very difficult to get the employment.

AI examiner evaluation

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 inconsistent. While you provide reasons for migration (employment, healthcare, education), the explanation of the negative consequences is somewhat repetitive and lacks depth. The conclusion is slightly contradictory, as it restates the reasons for moving rather than summarizing the overall argument effectively. To reach a higher band, ensure that each paragraph focuses on a distinct, well-supported point and that your position remains clear and consistent throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which is a positive feature. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, the transition 'On the other hand' is used to introduce both the positive and negative paragraphs, which is confusing for the reader. Additionally, some sentences are linked poorly, such as 'In rural area is not developed, therefore people moving to cities.' The progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by these awkward transitions and repetitive sentence structures, making the flow of the argument feel disjointed at times.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'good', 'big', and 'many', and there are frequent errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'sifting to cities' (likely meaning 'shifting') and 'cities over exploitation'. Some phrasing is non-standard, such as 'there are not have many opportunities'. To improve, focus on learning more precise academic vocabulary and ensuring that words are used in their correct grammatical context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There is a limited range of grammatical structures, and the essay contains frequent errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('there are not have', 'every people cannot get job'), missing articles ('in cities have many hospitals'), and awkward sentence construction. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of basic grammatical errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. You should focus on mastering basic sentence patterns, specifically the use of 'there is/are' and correct verb forms, before attempting more complex structures.

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

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