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)

Statistics show that the world's population is increasing rapidly. It is expected that most of us will be living in cities in a few decades. The question of whether urbanisation is a positive or negative development remains controversial.

A rapid influx of people moving from rural to urban areas bound to cause few problems. Firstly, pressure on resources such as housing and transportation intensifies. It is becoming more difficult for people to afford adequate housing in cities. A by-product of this is the creation of slums causing low-income families to group together in neglected parts of the city. These people often become trapped in a cycle of poverty that is difficult to escape.

As mentioned above, the growth of urban areas can also lead to severe traffic congestion because more and more vehicles travel into the city from the suburbs. This has many knock-on effects, such as air pollution. It also leads many city dwellers to experience mental health problems because travelling across large cities is tiring and stressfull.

All of this being said, I do not believe that urbanisation is a wholly negative development. There are advantages to living in large cities that are well developed. For example, there are more schools which means more education opportunities. Access to higher health-quality is often better in cities. Some cities have also introduced ride-sharing, e-bikes and park and ride services that reduce environmental problems.

My opinion is that many of the problems associated with urbanisation are avoidable but dealing with increasing populations in cities is a formidable challenge. How governments, businesses and society respond to this challenge will dramatically affect the future of our world.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task, providing a clear position that urbanisation is a complex issue with both negative and positive aspects. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed. For instance, the discussion on housing pressure and traffic congestion provides clear, logical support for the negative side, while the mention of educational and health opportunities balances the argument. To reach a higher band, the student could provide more specific examples or data to support the claims, as some points remain somewhat general. However, the position is consistent throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, such as the negative impacts of urbanisation followed by the positive aspects. Cohesive devices are used effectively, such as 'Firstly', 'As mentioned above', and 'All of this being said', which help guide the reader through the argument. The progression of ideas is smooth and easy to follow. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct points, contributing to the overall coherence of the piece.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally appropriate and sufficient for the task. The student uses terms like 'influx', 'by-product', 'neglected', and 'formidable challenge' effectively. There are some minor issues, such as 'higher health-quality', which is slightly awkward phrasing (better as 'better access to healthcare'). While the range is adequate, it does not consistently demonstrate the 'less common' or 'sophisticated' lexical items required for the highest bands. However, the vocabulary used is precise enough to convey the intended meaning without any confusion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical slips, such as the missing verb in 'rural to urban areas bound to cause' (should be 'are bound to cause') and the spelling error 'stressfull' (should be 'stressful'). Despite these occasional errors, the meaning is always clear, and the punctuation is generally accurate. The control over complex structures is decent, though more variety in sentence types could further enhance the score. The errors present do not impede communication.

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

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