Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-18

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 6.5)

It has been noticed that in many nations, large number of people from rural areas are moving to big cities. Consequently, there is a steep decline in the population of the rural areas. I personally think this is a negative trend for society.

To commence with, because of the lack of infrastructure, many young individuals are moving to big cities to pursue their higher studies or to get better career opportunities. Rural areas often lack better universities and colleges, so individuals have no choice other than leaving the countryside to pursue their higher education. Moreover, often institutions are not able to provide particular programs which students are looking for. Furthermore, because of the fewer resources and facilities, most of the renowned establishments have their setups in cities, so people have to migrate in search of a better job and future.

However, the governments are also neglecting the rural areas. With this heavy migration, there is an unusual stress on the big cities related to housing, amenities and traffic. The governments are using their resources in fixing these issues and forgetting about the countryside. This can cause more migration into the cities. Therefore, the authorities should focus not solely on cities but also on rural areas, so people can get amenities in their hometowns. This will help manage a proper balance and everyone gets benefited from it.

To sum up, individuals are moving from the countryside to cities in search of better education and career. This has a negative impact on society as cities get overcrowded and there will be crises related to housing and facilities. The governments should emphasize development in rural areas as well. This will stop migration and everyone will get access to the amenities properly.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student addresses all parts of the task by discussing the rural-to-urban migration trend and clearly stating a position that it is a negative development. The main ideas, such as educational and career drivers, are relevant and supported with explanations regarding infrastructure shortages and government neglect. However, some arguments tend to overgeneralise or repeat similar points about facilities and amenities without deeper extension. For instance, the discussion on government focus in paragraph three touches upon stress on big cities, but the development remains somewhat repetitive. Overall, the response meets the criteria for Band 6.5, leaning towards Band 7 for taking a clear position throughout, though development is slightly limited in places.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear overall progression with a recognizable introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each body paragraph focusing on a distinct sub-topic. Cohesive devices are employed to connect ideas, such as "To commence with," "Moreover," and "Furthermore," although some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive ("Furthermore," "Moreover," "Furthermore"). Referencing is generally clear, and the logical organization ensures the reader can follow the argument without difficulty, fitting the Band 6.5 to 7.0 profile well. With slightly more varied and less formulaic cohesive devices, the score would reach a solid Band 7.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as "infrastructure," "renowned establishments," "migration," and "unusual stress." There are also attempts at less common phrasing like "steep decline" and "proper balance." However, occasional inaccuracies in word choice occur, such as "large number of people" (missing an article) and "because of the fewer resources" (where "fewer" is used instead of "fewer" versus "less," though acceptable, "scarce resources" would be more precise). Spelling and word formation are generally accurate, and vocabulary errors do not impede communication, comfortably placing the response at a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional or relative clauses such as "individuals have no choice other than leaving the countryside..." and "...so people can get amenities in their hometowns." While there are frequent error-free sentences, several grammatical inaccuracies persist, such as missing articles ("large number of people" instead of "a large number of people") and slight prepositional or agreement awkwardness ("everyone gets benefited from it"). However, these errors do not impede communication. The control of punctuation and grammar is generally sufficient for a Band 6.0, showing a reasonable attempt at complex forms despite occasional lapses.

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