Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-10
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 today's generation many rural people are moving to the developing cities to live a better lifestyle seems to be decreasing the population in countryside, whereas less people who are totally attached to their hometown are staying.
In my experience this phenomenon is inextricably linked with the lifestyle. On an overview I contemplate this is a positive development to see people migrating to the developed cities to have a better living. In a cities rural people can have all the benefits except peaceful place with full of lush green views. In a recent study vast majority of population recorded is to be of students and Job seekers in cities, The research shows people who are being unemployed, facing a bad education system and poor healthcare facilities are moving to new cities.
On one hand, people are constantly looking for a permanent settlement in cities for bright future. I do have an example of my friend who shifted to my city to seek a better job and later he realized how major difference is in everything from lifestyle to standard. So, now he decided to settle down for beneficial opportunities and viable things. Hence population is decreasing in countryside.
On the second hand, very less people come to the cities for a very short period of time to stay, as in for a job, or the health treatment and just to study. Later they return to hometown once their purpose is done. My cousin brother who is from the rural area belong to the low-class family, came to the city for a better study on a scholarship and to get a good reward. So later they can have an excellent position of government jobs in their hometown.
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 taking a clear position that rural-to-urban migration is a positive development. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. While you mention reasons such as better job opportunities, education, and healthcare, these points lack depth and specific supporting evidence. The examples provided, such as the friend and the cousin, are anecdotal and do not fully explore the broader societal implications of the trend. To improve, you should aim to expand on your arguments by discussing the long-term impact on both rural and urban areas, rather than relying solely on personal narratives. The conclusion is also missing, which is a key requirement for a well-structured essay.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is hindered by awkward phrasing and mechanical transitions. For instance, the use of 'On the second hand' is incorrect; 'On the other hand' would be the standard cohesive device. Some sentences are disjointed, making it difficult for the reader to follow the flow of your argument. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly in the final paragraph where the subject of 'they' shifts between the cousin and a general group of people. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. You rely on basic descriptors like 'better lifestyle', 'good reward', and 'viable things', which are somewhat vague. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'in a cities' (should be 'in cities') and 'cousin brother' (which is redundant; 'cousin' is sufficient). To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to urbanisation, such as 'socio-economic advancement', 'infrastructure', or 'demographic shift', and ensure that your word choices are contextually accurate.
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 article misuse ('in a cities'), subject-verb agreement ('less people who are... is staying'), and awkward sentence construction ('seems to be decreasing the population in countryside'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some run-on sentences and unnecessary commas. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence structure and proofreading for subject-verb agreement will help improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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