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 others believe it would place greater pressure on cities. Although the villagers have the right to advanced facilities, I believe excessive migration leads to overpopulation in cities and decreasing interest 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 lack of 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 trend 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 resource usage exceeds usual demands which can cause resource depletion. Secondly, the decreasing populations of the countryside lose the interest of people in farming and agricultural practices which might lead to lower crop production, directly affecting the economy of the country. For instance, countries whose economic growth relies heavily on agriculture, experiencing a major decline due to migration.

In my opinion, although villagers have an equal right to have 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 populations in villages can affect crop production. The disadvantages of declining rural residents outweigh their advantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The student addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position regarding the negative impacts of rural-to-urban migration. The essay outlines reasons for migration, such as better education and career opportunities, alongside drawbacks like urban overpopulation and the decline of agriculture. Ideas are generally well developed, although the conclusion introduces a brief extraneous repetition rather than fully synthesising the arguments. The writer successfully maintains a clear standpoint throughout, matching the Band 7 criteria.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, starting with an introduction that outlines the writer's stance, moving into causes and effects in body paragraphs, and concluding effectively. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'One of the main reasons', 'On the other hand', and 'Secondly'. However, referencing and transitions are at times slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, corresponding well to the requirements of a Band 7 score.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary suitable for an academic task. Phrases like 'advanced healthcare', 'traffic congestion', and 'resource depletion' illustrate an ability to use less common lexical items with some awareness of collocation. There are minor vocabulary and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'decreasing populations of the countryside lose the interest of people' and 'experiencing a major decline'. Nonetheless, the lexical range allows for clear communication, aligning with a Band 6.5 or solid Band 6 performance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over relative clauses and conditional structures. Examples such as 'Although the villagers have the right to advanced facilities, I believe excessive migration leads to...' show good syntactic variety. However, there are some grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'trend for moving' instead of 'trend towards moving', and a dangling clause in 'countries whose economic growth relies heavily on agriculture, experiencing a major decline'. These errors do not impede communication, supporting a Band 6 score.

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