Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-29

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)

Whilst rural people are migrating to cities for better growth and opportunities in many countries world wide is negative development beacuse the outcome from this is, it reduces the population in countryside irrespective of its positive impact.I strongly believe that disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

On the one hand, people are relocating to cities to get more money and good facilities leads high population in cities. due to this relocation food and home scarcity problems are created. Therefore government is under pressure to satisfy the needs. For example, Singapore imports 90% of its food. The government heavily funds high-tech, multi-story vertical farms and rooftop gardens to grow vegetables locally in limited urban spaces.In addition, modern cities are more into build apartment blocks for providing enough houses to individuals.

However, there are many notable advantages when people are moving in cities.One valuable benefit is they can get numerous career opportunities and choices, and second one is high remuneration and bonuses are there for workers so they easily obtain financial stability.For instance, global tech hubs like San Francisco, London, and New York attract top-tier professionals by offering highly competitive compensation packages that rarely exist in smaller towns.

To conclude, although cities attract more people from rural areas by giving them standard of living and good pay there is also detrimental effects as they reduce the countryside population and create scarcity of food and home which is more intense in nature. Hence this is negative development for society and government as both facing adverse effects.

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. The ideas are relevant, such as food scarcity and urban pressure, but the development is somewhat uneven. While you provide examples like Singapore, the explanation of why this is a 'negative development' could be more deeply explored. You successfully cover both sides of the argument before concluding, which meets the requirements of the task. To reach a higher band, ensure that your supporting arguments are more thoroughly expanded rather than just listed, and ensure the link between your examples and your main argument remains tight throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. You use some cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand,' 'In addition,' and 'To conclude' to guide the reader. However, some transitions are a bit mechanical or missing, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For instance, the transition between the discussion of urban pressure and the Singapore example is slightly abrupt. Additionally, some referencing is a bit unclear, such as the phrase 'irrespective of its positive impact' in the introduction, which slightly confuses the reader regarding your stance. Improving the variety and naturalness of your linking words will help elevate your score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'remuneration,' 'top-tier professionals,' and 'detrimental effects.' However, there are some issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'more into build apartment blocks' instead of 'more focused on building' and 'scarcity of food and home' (housing is more appropriate than home in this context). While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Focusing on more natural collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing will help you achieve a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles (e.g., 'in countryside'), subject-verb agreement, and sentence fragments (e.g., 'beacuse the outcome from this is, it reduces...'). Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'both facing adverse effects,' which lacks an auxiliary verb. These errors do not generally impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, specifically regarding articles and verb forms, and ensure your complex sentences are punctuated correctly.

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

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