Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-13

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)

This essay will discuss on the topic which states, rural people in different countries are migrating to urban areas resulting a shortage in population in the countryside. I believe, this has negative effect in terms of development because this would affect the agriculture sector of the country.

Due to the lack of opportunities and developements, many people in rural areas tend to show an interest in migration towards cities. The government are not providing many facilites to improve their lifestyle even though there are significant developements are made in cities to ensure quality life. For instance - International schools, IT hubs, entertainment centres are not considered for many villages. As a result, the natives of these rural areas have to shift from their homeland to urban livelyhood in order to survive.

The after effect of this immigration would directly affect the agricultrual areas of the nation. There would a significant decline in terms of work force - especially the skilled ones in farming and many fields. Additionally, the a shortage of items would occur and authorities are forced to find alternative measures such as purchasing from nearby countries. So it is advisable to extend developments and support to the countryside as well.

In conclusion, the decline in population in the country side is a clear negative growth to the corresponding country as this would impact the well-being of its natives

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you consider rural-to-urban migration negative, mainly because it may weaken agriculture. You give relevant reasons, including limited services in villages and a possible loss of skilled farm workers, and the examples of schools, IT hubs and entertainment centres help explain why people move. However, the discussion is brief and some claims need fuller explanation—for example, how a smaller rural workforce would lead to shortages or affect the wider country. The conclusion repeats your view but does not add a developed final insight. The response also falls 20 words short of the required minimum. Develop the cause-and-effect reasoning and include a specific example to address the task more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your view, two body paragraphs explain causes and consequences, and a conclusion restates your position. Linking expressions such as “As a result,” “Additionally,” and “In conclusion” make the progression easy to follow. Some connections are less clear or mechanical, however. For instance, “The after effect of this immigration” refers back to migration awkwardly, and the link between a declining workforce and shortages is asserted rather than explained. The final sentence also ends without punctuation. To strengthen the organisation, make references more precise, connect each consequence explicitly to its cause, and use transitions that show the relationship between ideas rather than simply marking the next point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “migration,” “opportunities,” “work force,” “agriculture,” and “alternative measures,” which allows you to discuss the issue clearly. There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “skilled ones in farming.” However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision: “developements,” “facilites,” “agricultrual,” and “livelyhood” are misspelled, while “negative growth” is not a natural description of population decline. Some phrases are also awkward, such as “urban livelyhood” and “shortage in population.” Proofread spelling and choose more natural collocations. A wider range of accurate terms for rural services, agricultural labour and population change would make the argument more precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a reason clause beginning “because” and a concession with “even though.” The main ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors affect accuracy. For example, “This essay will discuss on the topic” uses an unnecessary preposition, “The government are” has a subject–verb agreement problem, and “There would a significant decline” is missing a verb. The construction “even though there are significant developements are made” also combines incompatible structures. Articles and sentence punctuation need attention, particularly in the final sentence, which has no full stop. Practise building accurate clauses with modal verbs and checking agreement; then proofread each sentence for complete verb phrases and punctuation.

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