Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-31

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 many countries the number of people moving from rural areas to cities, resulting in a decline in the population of the countryside. Although this trend can create some challenges, I believe this is a positive development because in the cities there are a lot of opportunities for jobs and better education and medical treatment compared with the rural areas.

One major benefit of moving from rural areas to cities is better job opportunities. In rural areas job opportunities are limited to farming and working in small businesses, while in the cities there are a lot of industries such as textile industries, electronics companies and shoes manufacturing industries and a person can find a job easily, which are matching with their skills and qualification. According to the 2010 survey in Brazil, the opportunity of getting job in a city is three times higher than getting a job in villages.

Another important advantage is access to better education and medical facilities. Cities have generally more universities, schools, colleges and hospitals than rural areas. Therefore, people move to urban centers to obtain high-quality education and better medical treatment. There are better opportunities to start and grow their own business compared with rural areas, because there are more consumers and demand. For example, a restaurant in a city gets more customers compared with restaurants in rural areas.

In conclusion, although the movement from rural areas to city may reduce the population in the countryside, I consider it to be a positive development overall. This trend can provide people, better education, employment, medical facilities and other services.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a position that the migration is a positive development. The ideas are relevant and supported by examples, such as the mention of job opportunities in Brazil and the comparison of restaurant businesses. However, the development is somewhat basic. While the arguments are clear, they could be extended further by discussing the potential negative impacts on rural areas in more depth to provide a more balanced perspective, or by providing more sophisticated analysis of the long-term societal implications. Overall, the response is well-focused and meets the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central topic, such as job opportunities or access to services. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'One major benefit', 'Another important advantage', and 'Therefore', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing could be more varied. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task. You use some topic-specific terms like 'urban centers', 'medical facilities', and 'qualifications'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is some repetition of basic words like 'opportunities' and 'areas'. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise synonyms and collocations. For example, instead of 'a lot of', use 'a plethora of' or 'a wide array of'. Some phrasing, such as 'shoes manufacturing industries', is slightly unnatural and could be improved for better collocation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips. For instance, the opening sentence is a fragment ('In many countries the number of people moving... resulting in...'), lacking a main verb. There are also minor errors with articles and prepositions, such as 'the movement from rural areas to city' (should be 'cities') and 'provide people, better education' (the comma is unnecessary). Despite these errors, the grammar does not impede communication, and the sentence structures are generally functional.

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