Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-30

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 years, migration is the pathway to better opportunity. A group of people think that, many villagers are moving into the metropolitian cities to get a better lifestyle. As a consequence, number of population in the countryside is decreasing. In my perception, I partially agree with the topic. Because there are some merits and demerits of the migration and I will explain it in the upcomming paragraphs.

On the one hand, there are enromous advantages to moving into the urban area. First and foremost, individuals, especially parents are migrated in the cities, because lack of schools and colleges into the rural area. To cite an example, as per a survey of Times of India, almost 50% of the rural people are tranfer into the cities in 2024. Another aspect is, due to lack of education in rural area, majority of the people are jobless and they also moved into the city for better carrier prospects. Beside this, most of the teenagers are also moved into the cities for entertainment purpose, because in villages there is no shopping malls, theatres and many more.

On the other hand, although some people argue that migration is beneficial, the evidence suggests that it's detrimental effects far outweigh its advanatges. Rapid urbanization into the cities leads not only increase the level of pollution, but also increase the level of population. Due to overpopulation, number of public transport facilities are comparetively less and number of people are also suffering from the lack jobbs.

To conclude, govenrment should not only focus on the development of the country, but also focus on the increasing aminities into the rural areas. Thus, it reduces the rate of migration. Government should construct hospitals and schools in the village areas so many village people get cure and education easily.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the positive and negative aspects of rural migration to cities, maintaining a clear position that the development has both merits and demerits. Ideas are presented, such as seeking better education and career prospects alongside the negative consequences of urban overpopulation and pollution. However, these ideas tend to be somewhat generalized and under-developed, relying on sweeping claims rather than fully explored arguments. For instance, the reference to a specific survey lacks elaboration on its actual impact. The position is stated early on, but the overall development fits comfortably into a Band 6 profile, as the arguments lack depth and the conclusion introduces new thoughts rather than summarizing the core stance.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a recognizable introduction, body paragraphs featuring standard signposts like 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand', and a conclusion. Paragraphing is utilized, dividing the main points into distinct advantages and disadvantages. However, cohesion is at times mechanical and faulty. For example, referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in phrases like 'due to lack of education in rural area, majority of the people are jobless and they also moved into the city for better carrier prospects.' The progression of ideas stumbles slightly due to awkward transitions and repetitive sentence openings, placing this performance at a solid Band 6 level.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'metropolitian', 'detrimental effects', and 'urbanization'. However, there are frequent spelling errors and word choice inaccuracies throughout the text, including 'enromous' instead of enormous, 'tranfer' instead of transfer, 'carrier prospects' instead of career prospects, and 'govenrment' instead of government. Furthermore, awkward collocations like 'increasing aminities' rather than increasing amenities or infrastructure detract from precision. These errors do not entirely impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score to a Band 5.5, reflecting a mix of adequate attempts and noticeable lexical strain.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing conditional or concessive clauses such as 'although some people argue that migration is beneficial, the evidence suggests...' However, control over grammar is inconsistent. There are numerous grammatical errors throughout the text, including preposition errors ('into the cities' instead of to the cities), subject-verb agreement issues ('number of public transport facilities are...'), and article omissions ('lack of schools and colleges into the rural area'). While the meaning remains mostly clear to the reader, the frequency of these grammatical and punctuation inaccuracies prevents the response from reaching a Band 6, placing it firmly at a Band 5.0.

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