Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-27

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)

In today's world, there is an increasing trend for moving to cities among rural people. Some people argue that village population is decreasing, while other believe it would place greater pressure on cities. Although the villagers have the right to advanced facilities, I believe excessive migration leads to an overpopulation in cities and decreasing interests of villagers in agricultural and farming practices.

One of the main reasons people move to cities is that they are in search of quality education, advanced healthcare and better career opportunities. These facilities cannot be easily accessible in the countryside due to the less attention of the government. Nowadays, due to the advancements in technology and increasing importance of education, people pay more attention to the place with better facilities and a stable lifestyle. As a result, their trends towards cities increases.

On the other hand, there are several drawbacks of this movement. Firstly, excessive migration can cause overpopulation in cities leading to traffic congestion and pollution in cities. Carbon emissions from vehicles might be responsible for certain respiratory diseases. Different resources usage exceeds more than usual which can cause resource depletion. Secondly, the decreasing population of the countryside losses the interests of people in farming and agricultural practices which might lead to a lower crops production, directly affecting the economy of country. For instance, countries whose economic growth rely heavily on agriculturs, experiencing a major decline due to migration.

In my opinion, although villagers have an equal right to get an easy access to important factors, their movement can place pressure on cities and can be detrimental for farming and agriculture. Governments can introduce advanced facilities in the coutryside so that people do not need to leave their place.

All things considered, rural people are moving to cities to get higher education and better medical services, while their decreasing population in villages can affect crop production. The disadvantages of declining rural residents outweigh its advantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the task and presents a clear position throughout. The writer takes a clear stance that the negative developments of migration outweigh the positive ones, citing issues like city overpopulation and declining agricultural production. Ideas are generally extended and supported, such as mentioning traffic congestion and reduced crop production. However, some arguments remain slightly repetitive or under-developed, particularly the brief mention of government intervention in the conclusion. Overall, the task is well-addressed in line with Band 7 descriptors, as the position is clear and main ideas are supported with relevant explanations and examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay demonstrates a clear overall progression and logical organisation throughout. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, reasons for migration, drawbacks, and the conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the other hand', 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'For instance' are employed to guide the reader through the argument. However, referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as 'their trends towards cities increases' where 'their' is ambiguous, and some transitions feel slightly mechanical. Nonetheless, cohesion is managed well overall, satisfying the criteria for a Band 7 score.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision, incorporating terms such as 'overpopulation', 'traffic congestion', 'resource depletion', and 'agricultural practices'. Less common lexical items are attempted with some awareness of style, though there are several noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'decreasing interests of villagers' instead of 'diminishing interest', 'losses the interests' instead of 'loses interest', and 'agriculturs' instead of 'agriculture'. Despite these occasional errors and spelling slips, meaning is easily understood, aligning comfortably with a Band 6.5 or solid Band 6 performance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at varied structures such as concessive clauses ('Although the villagers have...') and relative clauses. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings throughout the text, including 'other believe' instead of 'others believe', 'less attention' instead of 'lesser attention' or 'lack of attention', 'Different resources usage exceeds more than usual', and 'coutryside'. While punctuation and grammar are generally controlled well enough that communication is never impeded, the frequency of non-systematic errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band, placing it firmly at Band 6.0.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.