Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-28

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 movement of peoples from rural areas to cities are very common in many countries. Although migration to urban areas provides better opportunities for employment and education , i believe that decline of population in the rural area are very alarming and concerning .Therefore i consider this a negative development because through this pressure on the cities are increasing constantly .

One major disadvantage of rural to urban migration is decline of rural communities and economies. When young and working people are moving in the urban cities they are fewer people to work on agriculture . They are reducing the production which weeks the economy of rural areas

Moreover they are loosing their social relations and their traditions because the young people in the generation are moving away . for example if the people that are working in the local industry and in agricultural land are moving to urban areas there is less production which affects the economy of country also .

Another significant problem is that rapid population growth in cities increasing the pressure on urban infrastructure thats why the cities are struggling to provide houses , education , transport and health and other services. As a result overcrowding causes a road congestion and serious unemployment issues .

On the other hand, moving to cities can have some positive effects for individuals. Urban areas generally offer a wider range of jobs, universities, hospitals and other services. Therefore, people who leave rural areas may improve their standard of living and earn higher incomes.

In conclusion , although the rural migration can provide the better opportunities for people but i consider decreasing the population in rural are negative development overall . Therefore the government should have invest to rural areas for the development of education , health and provide employment opportunities there.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall6.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout, arguing that rural-to-urban migration is a negative development. The ideas are relevant, such as the decline in agricultural production and the strain on urban infrastructure. However, some points are slightly under-developed; for instance, the link between the loss of traditions and the economic impact could be more explicitly connected. The conclusion provides a clear summary and a relevant suggestion for government intervention, which helps to solidify the overall argument. To reach a higher band, ensure that each supporting point is fully explained with more specific detail or logical progression.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect of the argument. There is a progression of ideas from the negative impacts on rural areas to the pressures on cities, followed by a counter-argument. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Another significant problem', and 'On the other hand' are used to link ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are instances where referencing is a bit repetitive. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of cohesive markers to create a more natural, sophisticated connection between thoughts.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to express their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary such as 'urban infrastructure', 'road congestion', and 'standard of living'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'weeks the economy' (should be 'weakens') and 'loosing their social relations' (should be 'losing'). The range is sufficient for the task, but the student relies on some repetitive phrasing. To improve, the student should focus on more precise collocations and ensure spelling accuracy for key terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'movement... are very common', 'decline... are very alarming', 'pressure... are increasing'). There are also issues with article usage and pluralization, such as 'in the urban cities' and 'affects the economy of country'. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Increasing the variety of complex structures while ensuring basic grammatical accuracy would significantly improve the quality of the writing.

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

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