Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-09

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 5.0)

It is believed by a few individuals that to reduce the population in the countryside, many rural are people moving to the cities. In this essay I will discuss why I partially agree with this statement and it is a positive or a negative development.

On the one hand, it is good way to decrease population in the countryside. Towns are densely populated amd it is more important to decrease population. It is high opportunity to farmers and other business workers who want to grow crops. For instance, farmers can do irrigation, and can grow crops. Business workers who do their business by import and export system thay can grow cotton, clothes production and many types of seeds. It can be more beneficial for them to earn. Moreover, it can also beneficial for rural people. They can take facilities by living in cities. They do not have to face difficulties which they faced in towns. There is proper supply of electricity and water. There are many markets and other stores in the cities so they can easily buy things on time.

On the other hand, it is also a negative development. If rural people moving to the cities, population are increased in cities. It can increase the chances of crowd on the roads. It is highly needed for the tall apartment blocks because cities have not enough space to built more houses. It can also cause supply of water and electricity which can make difficuilty to other people.

In conclusion, although it is a positive development because it have many advantages for farmers but it can also cause difficulty.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address the question by presenting both benefits and drawbacks of rural-to-urban migration, and your conclusion indicates that you see it as mainly positive despite possible difficulties. However, the position is not consistently clear: the introduction says you will “partially agree,” although the task asks whether the development is positive or negative. Some supporting ideas are also limited or unclear. For example, the discussion of farmers, irrigation, and cotton production does not clearly explain how people moving to cities benefits rural areas, while the advantages of city facilities are asserted rather than illustrated. To strengthen the response, state your overall judgement directly and develop each main reason with a clear explanation and a relevant example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting opposing views, and a conclusion. “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help signal this organisation. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow because several points are placed together without clear links. The shift from migration to farmers’ irrigation and business exports, for instance, is not explained, and the sentence about city facilities does not clearly connect to the difficulties rural people faced. Some linking is mechanical, and references such as “it” in “it can also cause supply of water and electricity” are unclear. Group related ideas and use more precise links to show cause and effect.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “densely populated,” “irrigation,” “import and export,” and “supply of electricity and water.” This gives you a basic range for discussing rural and urban life. However, vocabulary is often repetitive or imprecise, and several word combinations make the meaning difficult to follow. For example, “grow crops” is repeated, “crowd on the roads” is not a natural expression, and “cause supply of water and electricity” does not express the intended problem clearly. Spelling errors such as “difficuilty” and “thay” also reduce accuracy. Build a more precise set of phrases for describing migration’s effects, congestion, housing pressure, and public services, and check spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, including a conditional beginning “If rural people moving to the cities” and a contrast introduced by “although.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently in basic sentence patterns, agreement, articles, and verb forms. Examples include “many rural are people moving,” “it is good way,” “population are increased,” and “it have many advantages.” The conditional clause also needs a finite verb, such as “If rural people move to cities.” These errors sometimes make the intended relationships difficult to understand. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and complete clause structures first, then use a few controlled complex sentences to express causes, consequences, and contrasts.

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