Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-20

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)

It is often argued that, rural people are moving to urban areas in some countries worldwide, influencing decreased population in the countryside. I think this is a negative development because it is causing housing crisis in cities and village areas are becoming vacant that could be used to increase employment there.

One of the most disadvantageous side of it is that it is causing significant amount of housing crisis in almost every urban areas around the world. As cities have more employment and academic facilities with better quality of life, people nowadays prefer them over rural areas. As a result, more and more people are moving to these areas to grab better opportunities for themselves and their families. As their number have outgrown the housing capacity of cities, people are residing in unsafe high-rise apartments and crowded places. Consequently, it is creating safety and health issues for a lot of people. To cope with this surge, governments invest in construction of new residential areas, hampering the environment as well. For example, in Bangladesh there are four or five dedicated residential areas in Dhaka which have negatively affected the nature and made the urban area more crowded.

Another negative impact is that, the rural areas are becoming vacant with people moving to city areas leaving a large portion a country unused. These places could be used to develop more schools, colleges and businesses, creating employment opportunities for locals. Moreover, agriculture can be encouraged more with funds from governments so that people are encouraged to stay in villages and enjoy the facilities, reducing pressure on urban housing. For instance, entrepreneurs can identify gaps in the rural areas such as absence of restuarent chains or better digital services, and can serve them while earning profits. However, it needs government incentives to encourage startups to target rural areas.

In conclusion, in think moving to urban areas is a negative development as the population in the rural areas are decreasing which could be used effectively otherwise and the migration is causing huge housing crisis in cities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a position that the migration is a negative development. The ideas are relevant and supported by examples, such as the mention of Dhaka's residential expansion and the potential for rural entrepreneurship. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven; while the housing crisis point is well-explained, the argument regarding rural development could be more deeply explored to reach a higher band. The position is consistent throughout the essay, and the conclusion effectively summarises the main points presented in the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organised with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used throughout, such as 'As a result', 'Consequently', and 'Moreover', which help guide the reader through the argument. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing, such as in the opening sentence where the connection between the rural-to-urban shift and the resulting population decrease could be phrased more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate and allows for clear communication of ideas. There is an attempt to use topic-specific language like 'housing capacity', 'residential areas', and 'government incentives'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'disadvantageous side' (should be 'disadvantage') and 'restuarent' (spelling error). The range is sufficient for the task, but it lacks the more sophisticated, precise, or idiomatic vocabulary that would be required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is good control over basic grammar, but several errors persist, such as 'influencing decreased population' (should be 'leading to a decrease in population') and 'in think' (should be 'I think'). Subject-verb agreement is occasionally problematic, for example, 'the rural areas are becoming vacant... leaving a large portion a country unused'. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent the essay from reaching the 7.0 band for grammar.

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