Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-23

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)

Nowadays, many people in rural areas are moving to cities, and as a result, the population pf the countryside is decsreasing. This is because cities provide more jobs and better sevices. In my opinion, this is a negative development as it can create problems in both rural nad urban areas.

One major disadvantage is that rural areas can lose young and skilled people. Many young people leave villages to find better jobs and higher salaries in cities. Because of this, there may be fewer workers in agriculture and other important rural busineses. Also, the number of people living in villages become smaller, so some schools, shops and health services may close because there are not enough people to use them. This can make life more difficult for the people who remain in the countryside.

Another problem is that cities become too crowded. When a large number of people move to cities, there can be more traffic, pollution and pressure on public service. For instance, hospitals and schools may become overcrowded, and it can also become difficult for people to find affordable housing. In addition, more people can mean greater demand for water, electricity and public transportation.

In conclusion, the movement of rural people to cities has some benefits, such as giving people more opportunities for employment. However, I believe that the disadvantage are greater because rural communities can lose workers while cities face overcrowding and pressure on public service. Therefore, governments should create more jobs and improve facilities in rural areas so that people have more reasons to stay there.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position that the rural-to-urban migration is a negative development. The student supports this stance with relevant ideas, such as the loss of young and skilled workers in the countryside and the resulting pressure on urban infrastructure, including traffic, housing, and public services. The arguments are extended and supported adequately, although some points like the closure of rural services and the strain on city resources could have been slightly more elaborated with deeper explanation. Overall, the task is well covered with a clear position maintained throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall organization with logical progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus: introduction, rural disadvantages, urban disadvantages, and conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'One major disadvantage', 'Also', 'Another problem', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to guide the reader through the text. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and referencing is generally clear, though occasional transitional links could be smoother to reach a higher band.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, including appropriate terms such as 'infrastructure', 'overcrowded', 'employment', and 'affordable housing'. There are some spelling and typographical errors, such as 'pf' instead of 'of', 'decsreasing' for 'decreasing', 'sevices' for 'services', 'nad' for 'and', 'busineses' for 'businesses', and 'disadvantage' instead of 'disadvantages' in the conclusion. Despite these minor mechanical errors, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures such as 'When a large number of people move to cities, there can be more traffic...' and '...so some schools, shops and health services may close because there are not enough people to use them.' There are some grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'the number of people living in villages become smaller' (subject-verb agreement error) and 'pressure on public service' (missing plural). However, these errors rarely impede communication and the majority of simple sentences are accurate.

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