Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-22

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)

Nowadays, everyone wants a life that is more advanced and facilitated. To achieve this purpose, people are moving to cities from the rural towns. This drastic and significant shift from rural areas to larger cities result in the low population in the countyside. People are considerably focusing on this shift. Some think it as a positive change and some consider it as negative according to their own perspective.

If we compare the lives of rural towns and cities, we get to know that cities offer much more facilities to the people such as healthcare, education, employment and access to other businesses startups. All these aspects are not available in the rural towns. People want a life with better education in well-known institutions that are only present in the cities.

However, the life in the rural areas is marked by simplicity in everything and people do not have variety of jobs. They only have few options to earn such as farming or harvesting etc. This do not meet their needs of daily survival. With the passing time all these requirements are increasing resulting in the migration that ultimately cause decrease in population in the countryside.

I saw many families in my surroundings who are moving towards cities basically for the better education and advanced lifestyle. It ultimately gave them benefit as they become able to earn more, they recieved quality of education and access to other significant facilities.

It has both positive and negative sides. On one hand we can observe the advancements in the cities because people are working hard after moving to achieve various goals that lead to the overall well-being of the country. On the other hand the decreasing poplulation in the countryside is leading towards the decline of the life that rural areas has such as healthy lifestyle without pollution that cities possesses.

To conclude the discussion we can say that the migration from the rural towns to cities has become the need of the current period of time. Although it results in increasing poplulation in cities, but still people are preferring it.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both benefits and drawbacks of rural-to-city migration, including access to education, healthcare and employment, as well as the loss of rural population and lifestyle. The personal example about families moving for education and a better lifestyle is relevant. However, the task asks you to decide whether this is positive or negative, and your position remains unclear: you call it both positive and negative, then conclude that migration has become a “need” and that people prefer it without stating which overall judgement you support. Several points are also asserted rather than explained—for example, how city-based work benefits the country or how rural decline affects communities. State a clear overall view and develop it with specific consequences and examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, discussion of city and rural life, a personal example, and a conclusion. Connectors such as “However” and “On one hand…On the other hand” help signal contrasts. Nevertheless, the progression is not always clear: the second and third paragraphs describe contrasting conditions, but their relationship to your overall judgement is not made explicit. The final paragraph repeats that migration is preferred rather than resolving the positive-versus-negative question. Some linking is mechanical, and references such as “all these requirements” and “it” are not always precise. Organise the body around a clear position, use each paragraph to develop one main reason, and make the conclusion directly answer the question.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “migration,” “employment,” “healthcare,” “well-known institutions,” and “overall well-being.” These choices make the subject clear, and you attempt more formal expressions such as “drastic and significant shift.” However, several word choices and collocations are awkward or imprecise, including “life that is more advanced and facilitated,” “access to other businesses startups,” and “the decline of the life that rural areas has.” Spelling errors such as “countyside,” “recieved,” and “poplulation” are noticeable. Aim for natural, precise combinations rather than adding multiple near-synonyms; for example, use “better living standards” and “access to business opportunities.” Proofreading spelling and word forms would also improve clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a conditional opening (“If we compare…”) and a contrast structure (“Although it results…”). Meaning is generally understandable, but errors recur in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “This drastic and significant shift…result” needs a singular verb, while “This do not meet their needs” has incorrect agreement. In “the life that rural areas has,” the relative clause also has an agreement error. The final sentence’s “Although… but still” construction is faulty, and some long sentences combine several ideas without clear control. Practise checking subject–verb agreement and building complex sentences with one clear main clause; accurate punctuation and sentence boundaries will make your reasoning easier to follow.

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