Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-25

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)

It is beleived that in many countries all over the world, rural people are migrating to urban areas. That's why the population in countryside is decreasing. This migration has the both aspects of positive and negative development.

On the first hand, urbanization can be positive for the individuals and the economy. Because people can access more facilities than villiage in a good developed area. People from the countryside have to travel a lot for fine treatment and good education. For instance, in the Pakistan the youngsters are rapidly moving from rural areas to urban areas. Because here in the cities they can effortlessly complete their education without wasting their precious time on travelling. They can also find the jobs related to their studies and according to their taste. In the urban areas they can serve the nation by joining different type of NGO's to bring the development in the rural areas. They can also make proper use of advance technology in their profession as well as in their personal lives.

On the other hand, over population in cities is increasing a lot of issues for people and also for the enviornment. The large number of people in an area use a fine amount of their own transport which create many problems like traffic jam and smoke in the air which can create many health problems. For example, in the largest city of Pakistan, Karachi has the largest ratio of people the suffering from lungs diseases due to a lot of smoke.

In conclusion, while moving to cities can offer better opportunities for rural , I belive it is a negative development because it creates a lot of health issues.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both sides of the development and give a clear final view that it is negative, supported by concerns about urban congestion and health. The examples about access to education and employment in Pakistan are relevant. However, the position is not fully consistent: the introduction calls migration both positive and negative, while the conclusion gives a negative judgement without explaining why the disadvantages outweigh the benefits. Some points are also under-developed, such as how migrants contribute to rural development through NGOs, and the Karachi example needs clearer explanation. To strengthen the response, state your overall position in the introduction and develop fewer points with specific cause-and-effect reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph presenting benefits, a paragraph describing disadvantages, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “On the first hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” make the direction of the discussion easy to follow. However, the progression is sometimes mechanical, and several sentences begin with “Because” without being properly connected to the preceding idea. The link between the benefits paragraph and the final negative position could also be clearer. Some references are imprecise, particularly “here in the cities,” which makes the location less clear. Use a wider range of linking methods and make the relationship between each example and its main point explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to discuss migration and its effects, including “urbanization,” “facilities,” “traffic jam,” and “health problems.” There are also attempts at more specific language, such as “precious time” and “advance technology.” However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or awkward, which limits precision: “fine treatment,” “good developed area,” and “a fine amount of their own transport” do not express the intended meanings naturally. Spelling errors such as “beleived,” “villiage,” and “enviornment” are noticeable. Aim to learn common word partnerships and check spelling; for example, use “medical care,” “well-developed area,” and “a large number of private vehicles.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses with “which” and “because,” and the main ideas are generally understandable. However, complex structures are not consistently controlled. For example, “Because people can access more facilities than villiage in a good developed area” is a sentence fragment, and “the largest city of Pakistan, Karachi has the largest ratio of people the suffering” has a faulty sentence structure. There are also errors with articles, agreement, and plurals, as in “the both aspects” and “different type of NGO's.” Work on forming complete sentences and checking how clauses connect. More accurate control of these patterns would make your argument easier to read.

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