Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-29

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 recent times, people in the countryside are gradually switching to the urban areas. This has caused the decline in the population in rural areas. In my opinion, this is a positive development because in this way, rural people can find better employment opportunities and facilities that they were lacking in their previous place.

In most of the bigger cities, there are a considerable number of businesses and companies established to provide employment to people. People from the rural areas come from a poor background. They get fewer opportunities to get quality education and find employment there. Hence, they prefer moving to urban areas, as they give them a chance to showcase their learning. For example, many companies have allocated a quota for people from different provinces and villages.

Villages have a significant number of problems associated with them. Issues related to load-shedding, inaccessibility of the internet, and shortage of accessories in the market have created a life full of problems. Even the unavailability of transport at times makes it difficult for them to move from one place to another, wasting a lot of time. Moving to urban areas resolves these problems completely, as everything is accessible there. Public transport is provided by the government, and malls have been established, so it's easier for the rural people to buy household items. For instance, online platforms have also been introduced for those who don't want to do physical shopping.

In conclusion, despite challenges of city life, it still has introduced platforms for jobs and provided the facilities; village people cannot even think of in the villages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position that the rural-to-urban migration is a positive development. The main ideas—such as better employment opportunities, higher education access, and improved infrastructure in cities—are relevant and extended with supporting examples like online shopping platforms and company quotas. However, some arguments, such as the mention of load-shedding and accessories, tend to over-generalize or lack depth in their economic explanation. Overall, the ideas are sufficiently developed to meet the requirements of a Band 6.5 descriptor, positioning this comfortably at Band 6.0 leaning towards Band 6.5, but settling at 6.0 due to some under-developed rural issues.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay is coherent overall with a clear introduction, body paragraphs focusing on separate themes (employment and infrastructure), and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. Cohesive devices are present, such as 'In most of the bigger cities', 'Hence', and 'For instance', but referencing can occasionally be mechanical ('Issues related to load-shedding... have created a life full of problems'). While the logical progression is generally clear, the transitions between sentences occasionally feel slightly abrupt, which aligns well with the Band 6 descriptor.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'employment opportunities', 'load-shedding', and 'infrastructure'. There are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, for instance, 'shortage of accessories in the market' is unnatural, and 'switching to the urban areas' should ideally be 'migrating to urban areas'. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate, and communication is never impeded. This represents the typical profile of a Band 6 lexical resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including relative clauses ('facilities that they were lacking') and conditional structures. There are some grammatical errors and punctuation slips, such as comma splices ('Public transport is provided by the government, and malls have been established, so it's easier...') and slight article omissions. However, these errors rarely impede communication, and the basic grammar control is generally sound. This performance sits squarely in the Band 6 bracket.

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.