Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-19
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)
The topic of population in the countryside has become a widely discussed issue in recent years. While this development has several advantages, it also has some disadvantages. This essay will examine the benefits and the drawbacks before reaching a conclusion.
On the one hand, this development brings several major advantages that cannot be ignored. One key advantage of most individuals are moving to cities; consequently, the population in the countryside highly decrease is that rural people can easily earn more money rather than past, which can have a significant effect on conduct a comfortable lives. Additionally, supporters of this development argue that rural people ensure better health treatment and convenient life by moving to urban areas. Evidence from Bangladesh shows that Nowdays, coutryside people lead healthier lives rather than past moments, demonstrating the benefits of this approach.
On the other hand, there are some disadvantages associated with this trend that must be considered. One main disadvantage is that the amount of pollution significantly increase. This is mainly because over population making different kinds of pollution such as air pollution, sound pollution, and also water pollution, which can ultimately lead to people sufffering by several major health disease. Furthermore, another drawback is that the number of crops growing fall into bottom level, directly influencing the ability of all the citizens to facing shortage of basic foods .
In conclusion, after examining these perspectives, I am convinced that the disadvantages are far more significant. While various dimensions surround this issue, the analysis above makes it clear that rural individuals should make convenient their lives in their own villages, primarily because the grow of basig food higly needed than anything. Therefore, this remains the most practical path forward.
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 candidate addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of rural depopulation and clearly stating a personal position that the disadvantages are more significant. The response presents relevant ideas, such as economic benefits and better healthcare on one side, and pollution and food shortages on the other. However, some arguments lack full development or clarity, such as the claim regarding the level of crop growth. The overall progression of ideas aligns with a Band 6 level, as the response covers the prompt adequately, though some main points are underdeveloped or slightly unclear.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is divided into a clear four-paragraph structure comprising an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. There is a logical overarching progression, with clear transitions like 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand'. However, referencing and cohesive devices are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, sentences like 'One key advantage of most individuals are moving to cities; consequently, the population in the countryside highly decrease is that...' demonstrate awkward transitions and poor integration of clauses. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but internal cohesion frequently suffers from grammatical awkwardness, placing this clearly at Band 5.5 or 6.0. Band 6 is appropriate for the overall logical arrangement and sufficient paragraphing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'advantages', 'disadvantages', 'over population', and 'significant effect'. However, there are numerous word choice and collocation errors, such as 'population in the countryside highly decrease', 'conduct a comfortable lives', and 'people sufffering by several major health disease'. Spelling errors ('Nowdays', 'coutryside', 'sufffering', 'basig', 'higly') also occur. While communication is not severely impeded, the frequency of lexical inaccuracies prevents the score from reaching a higher band. This corresponds directly to a Band 5.0 lexical profile.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar is weak. There are frequent grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues in 'most individuals are moving' and tense/form errors in 'the amount of pollution significantly increase' and 'the grow of basig food higly needed'. Many complex structures are attempted but turn out faulty, causing some difficulty for the reader and making meaning less clear in places. These characteristics firmly match the Band 5 descriptor for Grammatical Range and Accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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