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)
It is true that many of the people around the world from the rural areas are now moving towards the cities and population the country side is decreasing.
From my perspective, it is a positive development because people do not get enough convenience in the rural areas and are not able to live peacefully there. For instance, there are not any good medical treatments in the villages of many countries and people living rural areas do not get advantageous jobs even if they study more there. I believe that these major reasons are enough for them to move towards the cities. Furthermore, there are no well education institutes there in rural areas compared to the cities. In addition, the medication provides overdoses in the rural areas which can lead to cause many other problems.
If we talk about detrimental effects of moving towards the cities, so there is an enormous difference about the air and lifestyle including food between the rural and urban areas. specifically, In the rural areas the air is fresh and is free of smoke and carbon dioxide. If we talk about the city so there are a lots of hazardous gasses and amount of smoke coming from factories and industrial areas. Likewise the food is pure enough to provide energy to our body even if we eat less and in the cities many of the problems are caused by eating junk food. These are the major differences between the rural and urban lives.
In conclusion, I would like to mention that facilities to the people living in the rural areas should be provided to them in order to full fill there needs so that they do not feel the need to be settled in urban areas.
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 discussing the rural-to-urban migration trend and presenting a clear position, although the argument has a contradictory structure. After stating in the second paragraph that the development is positive due to better medical, educational, and employment opportunities in cities, the third paragraph abruptly introduces the detrimental effects of urban life, such as poor air quality and junk food. This creates some confusion regarding the writer's final stance, as the conclusion attempts to reconcile this by suggesting rural areas should simply be improved. Ideas are somewhat underdeveloped and repetitive, leaning toward generalisations rather than deep extension. This performance aligns best with Band 5.5 descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay displays a basic overall organisation with distinct paragraphs, including an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, logical progression is hindered by the shift in the third paragraph, where counter-arguments are introduced without clear transitional signaling or integration into the main thesis. Cohesive devices are used, but they are sometimes repetitive or basic (e.g., 'Furthermore', 'In addition', 'If we talk about'). Paragraphing is attempted, but the conclusion is presented with excessive spacing. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as pronoun use referring back to vague antecedents. Overall, the structural flow is mechanical, fitting the Band 5.5 profile.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, though it lacks sophistication and precision. The student attempts some less common vocabulary items like 'detrimental effects', 'convenience', and 'industrial areas', but these are mixed with unnatural collocations and repetitive phrasing (e.g., 'rural areas' and 'cities' repeated multiple times). There are also noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'medication provides overdoses' and 'well education institutes'. While communication is not severely impeded, the limitations in range and occasional inappropriate word choices restrict the score to a Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The text demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but attempts at complexity frequently result in grammatical errors. Examples of errors include subject-verb agreement issues ('population the country side is decreasing'), missing articles ('well education institutes', 'in the city'), and awkward phrasing ('full fill there needs'). Punctuation and prepositions also show recurring lapses. While simple sentences are generally understandable, the frequency of errors in complex structures causes occasional difficulty for the reader and prevents the writing from reaching a Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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