Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-11

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 this fast developing world people are shifting towards cities leaving their countryside. I think this is a negative development as they should not leave their hometown, rather government should allocate budgets to develop infrastructures like hospitals, better roads, schools.

On of the main reason for people leaving their village is for the better healthcare facilities and easy access for the transportation and education. As most of countries are city centric and most of the development is done in city area leaving few amount for the development of rural areas. In some areas it takes more than 1 day just to reach hospital, as their is not any mode of transportation. It also takes more than hours just to reach school. Rural people do not want to see their families suffer for basic needs like hospital services and education facilities. If all the rural people shift towards city they cities might be over populated. Which can also create scarcities of food, water, medicines, houses.

On the other hand some rural people move to cities for better job and lifestyle. In rural areas, life can be hard as their is fewer job opportunities. So, government should stand and build hospitals and schools which would stop migration rate. Authorities should motivate people to live in country sides too. Development in countryside is the only way to stop this migration so, government should take an action before it gets too late.

In conclusion, if all the rural people migrate towards cities then it can cause several problems including housing issues, contamination and pollution issues, so I think this is a negative development.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that rural-to-urban migration is a negative development. You provide relevant reasons, such as the strain on urban infrastructure and the lack of rural investment. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the point about 'scarcities of food, water, medicines' is mentioned but not fully explained or supported with specific examples. To reach a higher band, ensure that each main point is expanded with more depth and concrete illustration. Your position is consistent throughout, but the argument would benefit from a more balanced exploration of why the current situation persists before refuting it.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'On the other hand' and 'In conclusion', to signal transitions. However, the use of linking words is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. For example, the transition between sentences within paragraphs could be smoother to improve the flow of ideas. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the use of 'their' when referring to rural populations. Improving the variety of cohesive devices and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer back to their antecedents will help create a more seamless progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'infrastructure', 'over populated', and 'migration rate'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'leaving few amount for the development' (should be 'a small amount of funding') and 'stand and build' (should be 'take a stand and invest'). The range is somewhat limited, and you rely on basic phrasing in several places. To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations and synonyms to avoid repetition and add precision to your arguments.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('as their is not any mode') and article usage ('in city area'). There are also punctuation issues, such as the comma splice in '...migration so, government should take an action'. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring that complex sentences are punctuated correctly to maintain grammatical control.

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.