Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-19

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)

Throughout the world many individuals are moving to urban areas. As a result, the population in countryside is decreasing. I believe that this is a negative development because cities are becoming overcrowded and their growing population is putting a strain on resources.

One major disadvantage of urban to rural migration is that it can place a considerable pressure on the already limited resources. This has stretched the cities resources thin mainly because the quantity of resources like hospitals, schools, and job positions are still the same but the number of people needing them has increased in size. This has resulted in many becoming jobless, homeless and unable to take care of their families. For instance, many people are unable to put food on the table despite having a degree and experience because there aren't enough jobs.

Another significant downside of this is that cities have become very overcrowded to an extent that people are cramped together in places. There aren't enough apartment buildings or schools to allocate for the rising population resulting in feuds among the common people. For example, subways are always crowded and people quarrel with one another just for the sake of sitting down.

In conclusion, although cities offer better opportunities and facilities, the migration of a vast majority of people in cities only depletes the resources and crowds the city to an extent of making it unlivable. In my opinion, a better approach would be to advance rural areas and provide rural people with the same facilities to avoid straining the resources of a city.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt clearly, taking a firm stance that the migration is a negative development. The ideas are relevant, focusing on resource strain and overcrowding. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat repetitive. For instance, the second and third paragraphs both focus on the theme of 'overcrowding' and 'lack of resources' without introducing distinct, nuanced arguments. To reach a higher band, you should aim to explore different facets of the issue, such as the social impact on rural communities or the environmental consequences of rapid urban expansion, rather than focusing solely on the negative aspects of city life.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate distinct ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'One major disadvantage', 'Another significant downside', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be improved by using more varied referencing. For example, the repetition of 'This has' at the start of consecutive sentences in the second paragraph makes the writing feel a bit formulaic. Increasing the variety of linking words would improve the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally appropriate and sufficient for the task. You demonstrate the ability to use topic-specific language such as 'urban to rural migration', 'depletes the resources', and 'straining the resources'. There are some minor inaccuracies in collocation, such as 'allocate for the rising population' (better: 'accommodate the rising population') and 'feuds among the common people' (which sounds slightly unnatural). While the range is adequate, it lacks the sophistication and precision required for a higher band. Incorporating more precise academic collocations would enhance your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are clear and grammatically sound, though there are occasional errors. For example, 'the population in countryside' should be 'the population in the countryside', and 'cities resources' requires an apostrophe ('cities' resources'). Additionally, 'to an extent that people are cramped' is slightly awkward; 'to the extent that' would be more accurate. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the essay from reaching the higher bands where a wider range of error-free complex structures is expected.

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

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