Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-22

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 different regions people are shifting from rural areas to cities around the world, consequently the population is declining in the countryside area. Although, urbanization can boost economic growth, I believe the abandonment of rural areas is a negative development. This essay will discuss the damages on agricultural productivity and increased stress and strain on urban infrastructure.

Primarily, the trend of urbanization poses a threat to agricultural production and food security. The younger generation are shifting to the cities in search of better job opportunities and bright future. They did not prefer to work on the agricultural land which poorly effects the rural workforce. If the land will be left uncultivated, the population will be forced to rely on the expensive imported products. Moreover, the land in the cities is limited. People migrating from rural areas did not have enough space for the construction of accommodations. As a result, the prices of housing increased.

Furthermore, with the urbanization the pressure on the cities has also been increased at an alarming rate. People entering in the metropolitan cities create unsustainable pressure on the city life. In addition to this, it is degrading the environment in both the urban and rural areas. For instance, in urban areas and cities traffic congestion is increasing and consequently, air pollution is also increasing exponentially. It also results in increased living cost. On the other hand, the agricultural land in the countryside is left uncultivated and that leads to soil erosion which made the land unsuitable for farming in future.

To recapitulate, it is a negative development as with the migration of people from countryside to cities the pressure on cities is increasing significantly which results in shortage of food, declining in residential areas, air pollution and traffic congestion.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response fully addresses the prompt by clearly taking a position on whether rural-to-urban migration is a positive or negative development, arguing that it is negative. The main ideas are appropriately selected, focusing on agricultural productivity, food security, and urban strain. The position is maintained consistently throughout the essay. However, some arguments lack deeper extension; for example, the mention of housing prices and environmental degradation could have been more fully elaborated with a stronger specific example. Despite this minor under-development, all parts of the task are addressed adequately, fulfilling the requirements for Band 6.5 or 7.0. Given the clear stance and relevant, supported ideas throughout the body paragraphs, a band score of 6.5 is well-earned.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs focusing on distinct themes (agricultural threats and urban pressure), and a concise conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. Cohesive devices are employed, such as "Primarily," "Moreover," and "Furthermore," although some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive in structure. Referencing is generally clear, as seen in the phrase "People entering in the metropolitan cities create unsustainable pressure on the city life." Progression is discernible throughout, though the logical flow between ideas within the second body paragraph could be tighter. Overall, the organizational structure satisfies the requirements for Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms like "urbanization," "agricultural productivity," "food security," and "traffic congestion." There are, however, noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies throughout the text. Examples include "damages on agricultural productivity" (instead of damage to), "bright future" (missing article 'a'), and "declining in residential areas" (awkward phrasing). Spelling is generally accurate, but some lexical slips impede precision. The vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey meaning but lacks the flexibility and natural control required for higher bands, placing this response firmly at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing conditional structures ("If the land will be left uncultivated...") and subordinate clauses. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors in verb tenses and agreement, such as "The younger generation are shifting" (subject-verb agreement), "They did not prefer" (inappropriate past tense for a general preference), "People migrating from rural areas did not have enough space," and "made the land unsuitable" (tense consistency error). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but grammatical errors recur throughout and occasionally distract the reader, though they rarely impede overall communication. This performance aligns with the Band 6.0 descriptors.

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