Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-26

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)

The population in rural areas is decreasing because people are moving to urban areas in many countries. In my opinion it a negative development, there will be significant increase in cities population and in the prices of properties.

Shifting of people from less populated area to cities is not good for city's management. Cities have limited number of resources such as water, roads, building and foods. If more people will come to cities, it will cause a stress on available reserves. For example, In India, Delhi is a city packed with many people. On every year, many people travel to this city and settle there for more good opportunities but in result, it puts pressure on the availability of resources by government.

On the other hand, population is density is not the only reason. With more people in a same area, lessen the number of available buildings or houses for them to rent or to buy a new property. This will eventually increase the prices of rents and mortgages. For instance, the prices of houses are much higher in cities than the prices of lands in villages.

In conclusion, people are increasingly shifting from rural areas to urban areas, in case the number of individuals is decreasing in the countryside. I strongly believes its a negative development because It will certainly increase the population density in the different local sites. Eventually, people will see a dramatic increase in the prices of lands, buildings. These will cause issues for people to stay in cities or to live below the poverty line.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the migration is a negative development. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention resource strain and housing costs, the arguments are repetitive and lack depth. For instance, the example of Delhi is relevant but could be better linked to the broader consequences of rural-to-urban migration. To improve, ensure that each body paragraph introduces a distinct, well-supported point rather than restating the same concerns about population density and costs. The conclusion also introduces new phrasing that slightly shifts the focus rather than summarising the main arguments effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use some cohesive devices such as 'On the other hand' and 'In conclusion' to signal transitions. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical, and some referencing is unclear, such as 'These will cause issues' in the final paragraph, where the antecedent is ambiguous. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence logically follows the previous one would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'urban areas', 'population density', and 'mortgages'. However, there is a lack of variety and some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'more good opportunities' (should be 'better opportunities') and 'local sites' (which is vague in this context). To achieve a higher band, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and avoid repeating basic words like 'people' and 'cities' too frequently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('I strongly believes'), article misuse ('on a same area'), and awkward phrasing ('lessen the number of available buildings'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent throughout the text. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic errors like pluralisation and verb forms, and try to use a wider range of error-free complex structures.

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