Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-26
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)
Migration of people from village areas into the city in most countires is causing the village population to decline. In my opinion, travelling to city areas is a negative development as it causes overpopulation in the city and food production in villages will decline.
When people move from rural areas to the city, the overall population increases significantly. Due to this, there is overcrowding of people in the urban areas. For example, when villagers being to migrate into urban cities places like parks, cinema halls are overfilled by people. As a result, moving into such areas is not beneficial.
Another reason why moving to cities is a bad idea is because production of crops and vegetables needed for consumption will start to decrease. Since, many abled farmers have moved into the city the lands will go barren and food production will fall. For example, if there are no people in the village to farm, then fertile lands are unused and there will be no production of seasonal food items. Consequently, both the people living in the village and in the city will have to face the lack of food products.
In conclusion, people from villages moving to cities cause the population of the countryside to decrease. I believe, this is a negative impact as it increases the city's overall population and the decrease in the production of food items in the village.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by clearly stating a position that the movement of rural people to cities is a negative development. The writer identifies two main reasons: urban overpopulation and declining food production in villages. However, the ideas are somewhat limited and under-developed, relying on basic examples like crowded parks and barren lands without deeper exploration or nuance. Furthermore, the response falls short of the minimum length requirement, containing only 232 words compared to the required 250 words. This under-length impacts the overall fullness of task fulfillment, bringing the score to a Band 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a brief conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'When people move', 'Another reason', and 'Consequently', though some transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. Referencing is generally clear, as seen in 'Since many abled farmers have moved into the city the lands will go barren'. While the progression of ideas is logical, the somewhat simplistic linking and limited text length place this firmly in the Band 6.0 category.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'overpopulation', 'rural areas', 'consumption', and 'fertile lands'. However, there are notable spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'countires' instead of 'countries', 'travelling' instead of 'moving', and 'abled' instead of 'able-bodied'. Attempts to use less common vocabulary are occasionally awkward, but communication is never impeded. The lexical range is minimally sufficient for a Band 5.5 or 6.0, but due to recurrent vocabulary limitations and errors, a score of 5.5 is appropriate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, such as 'When people move from rural areas to the city, the overall population increases significantly.' There are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the text, including comma splices and missing articles, such as 'when villagers being to migrate' (instead of 'begin') and 'decrease in the production of food items'. Despite these errors, the sentences remain largely understandable and do not impede communication. This balanced control aligns with the Band 6.0 descriptors.
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.