Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-12

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 6.0)

With the development and emerging era of technology, alot of people has started migrating towards cities which is ultimately resulting in over-population in cities and a significant decrease in population in the countryside. However, I believe that this migration is not a positive development and it is giving rise to several problems.

On the one hand, this increasing trend of moving towards cities is putting extreme pressure on cities. For example, this urbanization is causing over-population in the cities. It is becoming quite challenging to accomodate this much population in cities. Ultimately, people are forced to manage their residence in slums. Living in such areas and consuming polluted water also cause several health problems like hepatitis, typhoid etc. Eventually, all these things make this situation worse for the people who move in and for the government also.

On the other hand, rural areas are backbone of agriculture countries like Pakistan. If significant number of people would be moved to urban areas then it may have several negative effects. Countryside areas are source of pure milk, vegetables, crops etc. However, if no one would be living there then it will also have a potential impact on cities.

In my opinion, people usually move into cities because of the facilities which they cannot have in villages. Therefore, to prevent this migration and all other associated problems the government must provide them with all the facilities for which they are compelled to move. For example, standard education is the primary reason for this trend. If the government would pay attention to this then this movement can be stopped.

In conclusion, such movement of rural people to cities is a negative development and government must intervene to address the difficulties and problems of these people and stop this trend.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction to the conclusion: you consider rural-to-urban migration a negative development. You address both sides of the change by discussing pressure on city housing and health, and the loss of rural workers and agricultural production. These are relevant reasons, and the Pakistan example gives the discussion some context. However, the rural-side argument is less fully explained: the link between fewer countryside residents and reduced supplies of milk, vegetables, and crops is asserted rather than developed. The proposed solution—improving facilities, especially education—is relevant, but could be connected more explicitly to how it would reduce migration. More specific explanation or an example would make the support more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, two contrasting body paragraphs, a paragraph on causes and solutions, and a conclusion. Signposting such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” helps readers follow the main stages. The progression is generally logical, but some connections are mechanical or unclear. For instance, “Ultimately” and “Eventually” occur close together in the first body paragraph, while “However” introduces a point that does not clearly contrast with the preceding claim about rural produce. The reference in “this movement can be stopped” is understandable, but the paragraph would flow better if the proposed education improvements were linked directly to the earlier discussion of city pressures and rural needs.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “over-population,” “urbanization,” “slums,” “countryside,” and “agriculture,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “significant decrease” and “associated problems.” However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward: “manage their residence in slums” and “rural areas are backbone of agriculture countries” do not express the intended ideas naturally. “Alot” and “accomodate” also contain spelling errors, and “pure milk” is not the most suitable description in this context. Aim for more precise collocations and check spelling, while avoiding repeated general terms such as “problems” and “things.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including conditional forms and clauses introduced by “because” and “if.” Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “alot of people has started” has an agreement error, and “rural areas are backbone” is missing an article. The conditional sentence “If significant number of people would be moved” combines forms awkwardly; a more controlled structure would be “If a significant number of people moved to urban areas, …”. There are also issues with plural and verb forms in “all these things … cause” and “if no one would be living there.” Continue practising agreement, articles, and conditional patterns. Greater accuracy in these areas, alongside your existing sentence variety, would strengthen the response.

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