Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The migration of people from rural areas to urban areas is one of the numerous challenges experienced in plenty of countries today. The effect of this movement is the decline of population in the countryside. The argument is that the grass is greener in towns.However, my opinion remains that it is a negative development.

Firstly, rural areas are beneficial in the economy of a country. Numerous countries depend on agriculture to sustain their economy. Rural-Urban migration leads to many productive young men and women moving to towns and the consequence is inevitable. A lot of farms are left unattended leading to severe shortage of food. The consequence of this development is a major decline in the economy of a country.

Secondly, movement of people to cities and towns eventually means that rural areas are left short of professionals. It is a devastating blow to many in such areas. Teachers and doctors play a fundamental role in the growth of any country. A productive state requires plenty of these professionals. However, migration of these calibre of people to towns means those in rural areas are left at a disadvantage. A good example is my village, most sick people have to walk many kilometres in search of modest hospitals. Furthermore, the few hospitals in rural areas lack specialists who can assist in treating various complications. These is a very big disadvantage to the rural areas.

Lastly, a major demerit of urban migration is that it leads to negligence of rural areas by the government. The government makes the unfair assumption that there are few people in the countryside hence focusing more on building amenities in towns and cities. These can disadvantage those in rural areas greatly.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response clearly addresses the prompt by taking a definitive stance that rural-to-urban migration is a negative development. The ideas are relevant and logically extended, particularly regarding the impact on agriculture and the loss of essential services like healthcare. The argument is well-supported with a personal example about village life, which adds depth. However, the essay could be improved by providing a more nuanced conclusion or a brief acknowledgement of why people move (the 'pull' factors) before refuting them, which would demonstrate a more comprehensive exploration of the topic. Overall, the position is consistent and well-maintained throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding sentiment. Each paragraph focuses on a distinct point, such as economic impact, loss of professionals, and government negligence. Cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Lastly' are used to guide the reader through the argument. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the referencing could be smoother. For instance, the sentence 'These is a very big disadvantage' is grammatically awkward and disrupts the flow. Despite these minor issues, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally appropriate for the task, with some good collocations such as 'rural-urban migration', 'productive young men', and 'devastating blow'. There is an attempt to use less common vocabulary, though some word choices are slightly repetitive or imprecise, such as 'plenty of countries' or 'these calibre of people'. The range is sufficient to convey the argument clearly, but it lacks the sophistication and precision required for a higher band. Improving the variety of synonyms for 'negative' or 'problems' would enhance the lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical errors that persist. For example, 'These is a very big disadvantage' contains a subject-verb agreement error, and 'these calibre of people' should be 'this calibre'. Additionally, some sentences are slightly fragmented or lack smooth integration. While the errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. More attention to subject-verb agreement and pluralization would improve the accuracy of the writing.

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