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)

In some countires the people from villages are moving towards developed areas so the population in serging day by day in countryside. I believe that it is has a both merits and demerits , because the more the people come towards advancement the more they become educated and do more things professionally thus it will become an eventual increase in the economy as well , but if the opportunties are not available than it will have a drastic effect overall.

Moving towards cities has so many benefits such as, in cities rural people can gain advantages from modern technologies like hospital sources and educational facilities on higher level. In my opinion, if more people move there they can make their lives easy. Forexample : Last year a couple of families from my village moved to a city and after some time all of them ij youngster got their jobs in different profession although it was not so high but atleast they can survive with their amount .

And also have demerits like If large amount of people move towards the city the agriculture economy will be effect the most because they are well known of growing all types of crops and taking care of all the responsibilites. Forinstance My family belongs to a village but at that time all of my family moved in city and my ancesstors agriculture is going down and we doesnot receive much income from there. I think that village should not be left with fewest rather some would defenitely stay there or often visit there to take care of our ancesstors name.

In conclusion i would say that even the city world is difficult to ignore but somehow villages are essential tou our lives. we should think about the alternatives that how to maintain a balance.

AI examiner evaluation

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

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the question by discussing benefits and drawbacks, and your conclusion recognises the importance of both cities and villages. Relevant examples, including families from your village finding work and your family’s agricultural income declining, help connect the argument to real experience. However, the task asks you to decide whether this is a positive or negative development, and your position remains mixed: the opening says there are “merits and demerits,” while the conclusion calls for balance without clearly stating which overall effect you consider more significant. Some points also need fuller explanation, particularly how rural migration affects agriculture and what practical alternatives could maintain a balance. State a clear overall judgement and develop each main reason with a more explicit explanation of its consequences.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs on benefits and drawbacks, and a conclusion. This gives the reader a basic route through your ideas, and examples are generally placed alongside the point they illustrate. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear, and several links feel mechanical or incomplete. For example, “And also have demerits like” does not form a clear transition into a complete sentence, while “because” and “thus” in the opening connect several ideas without showing their relationships precisely. The conclusion introduces “alternatives” but does not explain them. Use clear topic sentences, connect each example explicitly to its main point, and make the conclusion follow directly from a stated overall position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “modern technologies,” “educational facilities,” “agriculture economy,” and “responsibilities.” These choices show an effort to discuss education, employment, and rural livelihoods rather than relying only on very basic terms. However, the range is limited and several inaccurate word choices or collocations make parts difficult to understand, such as “population in serging,” “hospital sources,” and “city world.” Spelling errors, including “countires,” “opportunties,” and “ancesstors,” are also noticeable. Aim for precise, natural phrases and check spelling carefully. For instance, use “the rural population is declining,” “healthcare services,” and “urban life”; these would express your intended ideas more clearly and appropriately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You try to combine ideas using longer sentences and clauses, as in the opening sentence and the explanation beginning “if large amount of people move.” This shows some willingness to use more than simple sentence patterns. However, complex sentences are often faulty, and frequent errors can make the meaning difficult to follow. Examples include “I believe that it is has,” “the agriculture economy will be effect,” and “we doesnot receive,” which show problems with verb forms and agreement. Sentence boundaries and punctuation are also inconsistent, particularly in “Forexample : Last year…” and the long opening sentence. Practise building accurate sentences with one main idea at a time, then add subordinate clauses only when their grammar is secure.

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