Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-22

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)

In this fast growing world, many people are moving from the countryside to cities for better job opportunities, education and an improved lifestyle. As a result, the population in rural areas is gradually decreasing. In my opinion, this is a positive development because urban migration can provide people with better employment opportunities. I will discuss my views in the following paragraphs.

To begin with, nowadays lots of people form rural areas are migrating to the cities with different intensions. Firstly, the maximum ratio is of students as they get opportunity to pursue good education in cities rather then in countryside. As lots of international schools have arrived in modern cities. For instance, one of my neighbours recently moved from the countryside to the city because their son got admission to a university in the cityside. This move has given their family better access to education and other facilities. Secondly, the people in countryside setting up their business in the cities as they get good opportunities and maximum reach. For instance, my uncle runs a peanut-packing business. He shifted his plant from his village to an industrial estate in the city when he started exporting his products. He made this decision because the city offered better transportation and business connections. As a result, the whole family moved to the city as well.

This are the major factors due to which the population in the countryside is decreasing at higher pace. But according to me it is not a negative development. Because, moving to country side gives individual lots of advantages in terms that the can improve their lifestyle.

Overall, in my view I feel that moving to cities form countryside make a positive impact as it helps individual to achieve better job opportunities, education and an improve their future.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that rural-to-urban migration is a positive development. The ideas are relevant, focusing on education and business opportunities. However, the development is somewhat limited. While you provide personal examples, the analysis of the broader implications of this trend is thin. The conclusion is repetitive and does not fully synthesize the arguments presented. To reach a higher band, ensure that each body paragraph explores the 'why' and 'how' of your arguments more deeply, rather than relying solely on personal anecdotes. The response is clearly focused, but the depth of discussion needs to be more academic and comprehensive.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'As a result' to link your points. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. Additionally, some transitions between sentences are slightly abrupt. To improve, try to vary your linking words and ensure that the relationship between sentences is more fluid. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the final paragraph is quite brief and lacks a strong concluding statement that summarizes the main points effectively.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'migration', 'opportunities', and 'industrial estate'. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'maximum ratio is of students', 'cityside', and 'at higher pace'. These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your writing. To achieve a higher score, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and avoiding informal or non-standard expressions. Expanding your vocabulary to include more academic synonyms for common words will also help improve your lexical range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('This are the major factors') and article usage ('the people in countryside'). There are also issues with punctuation and sentence fragments, such as 'Because, moving to country side...'. These errors are noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and ensure that your complex sentences are constructed correctly without missing auxiliary verbs or prepositions.

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

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