Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-11

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)

Around the world several people are shifting to cities from a rural area, which lead to urbanization. As a result there is decreasing in the population in the countryside. I believe that it is negative development because this can lead to several problems to cities like unemployment, pollutions and not convenient.

On the one hand, there are several reasons that rural people are shifting. One of the major reason is not having better facilities, for instance hospitals, schools and employment opportunity. For any treatment they have to travel to urban area and for higher education students has to shift to city area. However, staying in the rural area can benefit in having great connection and stress free life. People living there have the benevolent and helpful behavior.

On the other hand, urbanization can help in communicating and making bond with different caste, race and gender. People in cites are more open-minded and experienced. Additionally, people shift here because of the career opportunity, cultural exposure and better accommodation. However, having over population can lead to multiple drawbacks like traffic congestion because of excessive vehicle usage. Another is AQI Air Quality Index gets higher and there will be more unemployment due to higher competition.

In conclusion, in several country people are moving to cities for more facilities like healthcare, job seeking, education and employment, however, this can lead to overpopulation in urban area and can affect people health because of polluted air, traffic congestion and competition. Hence, there should be balance between both area which can lead to country growth and economy.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall6.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by identifying the migration as a negative development. However, the development of ideas is somewhat inconsistent. While you provide reasons for migration (lack of facilities) and the consequences of urbanization (pollution, unemployment), the argument lacks depth. For instance, the paragraph discussing the benefits of urbanization feels disconnected from your stated position that the trend is negative. To improve, ensure that every point made directly supports your central thesis. Additionally, the conclusion introduces a 'balanced' view, which slightly contradicts your initial stance that it is a negative development. A more focused approach would strengthen your position.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing is occasionally unclear. For example, the transition between the benefits of rural life and the benefits of city life in the second and third paragraphs is abrupt. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that the progression of ideas within paragraphs is smoother and more tightly connected.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your meaning, including terms like 'urbanization', 'congestion', and 'accommodation'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'not convenient' instead of 'inconvenient' or 'not having better facilities' instead of 'a lack of infrastructure'. Some phrases are also slightly repetitive. To improve, try to use more precise academic collocations and avoid basic phrasing. Expanding your range of topic-specific vocabulary related to urban planning and sociology would also be beneficial for achieving a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'students has to shift', 'several country') and article usage (e.g., 'in a rural area', 'in cites'). Additionally, there are issues with pluralization and word forms, such as 'pollutions' (uncountable) and 'people health'. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on proofreading for basic agreement and singular/plural consistency to improve your accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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