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 uses exceeds the usual demands which can cause resource depletion. Secondly, the decreasing population 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 its advantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by discussing the rural-to-urban migration trend and clearly stating a position that the negative consequences outweigh the positive ones. The introduction outlines the writer's stance, and body paragraphs present relevant reasons for migration, such as better education and career opportunities, alongside drawbacks like urban overpopulation and declining agricultural production. However, some ideas are slightly repetitive between the body paragraphs and the conclusion, and the final paragraph leans toward summary rather than full extension. Nevertheless, the position is well-maintained throughout, earning a solid Band 6.5 to 7.0 for addressing all requirements with a clear overall stance.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a clear overall progression and logical organization. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving from an introduction to push-pull factors in paragraph two, drawbacks in paragraph three, a recommended solution in paragraph four, and a concluding summary. Cohesive devices are employed to link ideas, such as 'One of the main reasons', 'On the other hand', and 'All things considered'. However, there are minor awkward transitions and occasional mechanical referencing, such as 'countries whose economic growth relies heavily on agriculture, experiencing a major decline' which lacks a proper auxiliary verb. Paragraphing is used appropriately, resulting in a cohesive arrangement that safely places the essay in the Band 6.5 to 7.0 range.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate and functional range of vocabulary suitable for the task. Less common lexical items are attempted, such as 'overpopulation', 'traffic congestion', 'respiratory diseases', and 'resource depletion'. While these demonstrate a reasonable command of topic-related vocabulary, there are occasional word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'Different resource uses exceeds the usual demands' (subject-verb agreement and phrasing error) and 'coutryside' (spelling slip). Despite these limitations, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly without impeding the reader, aligning well with the Band 6.0 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and conditional structures. There are several instances of good grammatical control, but frequent minor errors prevent the text from reaching a higher band. Examples of errors include subject-verb agreement issues ('resource uses exceeds'), missing verbs or awkward phrasing ('countries whose economic growth relies heavily on agriculture, experiencing a major decline'), and a spelling error ('coutryside'). Although these errors are noticeable, they rarely impede overall communication. The frequency and variety of errors position this text comfortably at Band 6.0.

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