Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-17

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 is quite a sensitive topic and requires a good amount of thinking. In many countries, rural people are moving to cities, so definitely the countryside is facing challenge over decreasing population. Down the line, we will discuss how it is a negative or positive development.

In many low-middle to milddle income countries, the trend of switching from rural cities to urban is getting common. Urban city life is fast-paced, hectic, draining & stressful compared to to rural lives. On the other hand, Rural cities have their own challenges and barriers. From dusk to dawn, they are involved in physical labour due to low or unaviability of handy things, like stove, refrigerated or stored meat and etc. Things like these drains energy but, people living there are likely to state that they have great peace of mind comparable to people like in rural cities.

Neverthless, the basic need of this hour is money. We are living in an era, where lacking enough money is equivalent to low survival rate. Urban cities offer a good living standard, all basic neccessities, big employment opportunites and way towards a modern and balanced life. The Rural life might offer a healthy, clean and fresh lifestyle but the lacking outweighs the pros of living there. For instance, a good earner can afford a comfortable vehicle, peaceful apartment and different options of eating healthy and clean using his income, which is adding to the increased revenue of country and helping him and the state in mutual development. While rural people may be living a content and happy life, but their share to state is far less than the one working and generating revenue for a company in city.

In sum, I think moving to cities is a positive development in terms of personal growth and benefiting the state.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear overall view in the conclusion, stating that migration to cities is positive because it supports personal growth and benefits the state. You also introduce relevant contrasts, such as urban employment and services versus the peace and cleaner lifestyle of rural areas. However, the position is not clear in the opening, which says the essay will discuss whether the trend is positive or negative, and the body gives substantial attention to both sides without consistently evaluating the overall effect. Some claims, including that rural residents contribute far less to the state, are asserted rather than supported with a specific example or explanation. State your position from the beginning and develop fewer reasons more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion, and the contrast between rural and urban life gives it some overall organisation. Linking expressions such as “On the other hand,” “For instance,” and “In sum” help signal relationships between ideas. However, progression is not always clear: the first body paragraph moves between urban stress, rural hardship and rural peace without showing how these points support your final positive view. The phrase “Down the line, we will discuss” is also an awkward signpost, and “While rural people…” begins a contrast that is not smoothly connected to the preceding claim. Organise each paragraph around one main reason and use clearer links between evidence and your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “fast-paced,” “physical labour,” “employment opportunities,” and “revenue,” and these choices help communicate the broad comparison. However, the range is uneven, with several inaccurate or unnatural expressions that make parts of the argument harder to follow. Examples include “switching from rural cities to urban,” “low or unavailability of handy things,” and “a good amount of thinking.” There are also noticeable spelling errors, such as “milddle,” “Neverthless,” “neccessities,” and “opportunites.” Aim for precise, natural collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, describe people as moving “from rural areas to cities” and refer to “limited access to household appliances.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple statements and attempts at longer, more complex sentences, including the example beginning “For instance, a good earner can afford…” and the contrast introduced by “While rural people…”. Meaning is generally recoverable, but errors in sentence construction and agreement occur often enough to reduce control. For example, “Things like these drains energy” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “the basic need of this hour is money” and “the lacking outweighs the pros” show awkward grammatical patterns. The sentence beginning “While rural people may be living…” is a fragment because it lacks a main clause. Practise building complete sentences with clear subjects and verbs, and check agreement and punctuation when joining contrasting ideas.

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