Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-28

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 6.0)

In many countries, people increasingly are moving from villages to cities, and as a result, the number of people living in rural areas is decreasing. although this movement can give people better opportunities, I think it is mostly negative development because it can cause problem in both villages and cities.

There are some advantages to moving in cities. First, cities usually have more jobs opportunities compared to villages, most people move cities to find a good job and earn more money and support their families. cities also have better schools, colleges and hospitals. For example, many young people move to cities to study at good colleges and find a job. This can help them having better future.

However, I believe that this trend has more disadvantages. When many young people leave villages, there may not be enough workers for farming and other local jobs. Also older people may left alone because their children have moved to cities. Asa result, some villages can be less active and less developed. In addition, the local culture and tradition may slowly disappear when younger people leave their villages.

in conclusion, moving from rural areas to cities can give people better jobs, education, and healthcare . However, i believe disadvantages are greater because villages can lose their young population while cities can suffer from overcrowding and traffic problems. Governments should create more jobs with a better pay and improve facilities like hospitals and shops in rural areas so that people can have a good life without moving to cities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student addresses all parts of the task by taking a clear position that the migration from rural to urban areas is a negative development. The essay presents arguments supporting both sides before concluding. Ideas are relevant, discussing job opportunities, education, and healthcare in cities, contrasted with labour shortages, aging populations, and cultural loss in villages. However, some ideas are slightly under-developed and lack extension with concrete personal examples. For instance, the mention of better schools and hospitals is brief. To reach a higher band, the student should expand further on specific consequences rather than listing general points. Despite these minor limitations, the prompt is fully addressed with a consistent position throughout, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs addressing advantages and disadvantages, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct topics, such as city advantages in paragraph two and rural disadvantages in paragraph three. Cohesive devices are employed, including transition markers like 'First', 'However', 'Also', and 'In addition'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, 'moving in cities' contains a preposition error, and 'Asa result' lacks proper spacing. Furthermore, pronoun referencing like 'older people may left alone' creates occasional confusion. While the logical progression is evident, the mechanical use of cohesive devices keeps this criterion at a Band 6 level.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'opportunities', 'consequences', 'overcrowding', and 'tradition'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, but these are often accompanied by minor inaccuracies in word choice or collocation, such as writing 'negative development' instead of 'a negative development' or 'jobs opportunities' instead of 'job opportunities'. Spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'left' instead of 'be left', do not impede communication. The vocabulary is generally functional and sufficient to convey the intended meaning, allowing the response to comfortably meet the criteria for Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. The student attempts complex structures using subordinate clauses, such as 'When many young people leave villages, there may not be enough workers...' and 'Governments should create more jobs... so that people can have a good life...'. However, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, particularly missing articles ('mostly negative development'), incorrect verb forms ('help them having'), and tense/voice inaccuracies ('older people may left alone'). Capitalisation at the beginning of sentences and after full stops is also occasionally neglected ('in conclusion', 'i believe'). These errors reflect a typical Band 5 to 6 profile, but because communication is rarely impeded and there is a genuine mix of structures, a Band 6 is awarded.

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