Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-01

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 7.5)

In many parts of the world, people are increasingly leaving rural areas and moving to cities, resulting in a decline in the countryside population. I believe this is largely a negative development, although urban migration can provide individuals with better employment and educational opportunities.

One major advantage of rural-to-urban migration is that cities generally offer more employment opportunities and higher salaries. Rural areas may depend heavily on agriculture, which can provide unstable incomes because of weather conditions and changing market prices. In contrast, cities often have a wider range of jobs in industries such as technology, healthcare, education and finance. In addition, urban areas usually have better access to universities, hospitals and other public services. Therefore, young people may move to cities to improve their career prospects and quality of life.

However, the large-scale movement of rural residents can have serious consequences for both villages and cities. When young and working-age people leave the countryside, villages may lose an important part of their workforce. This can reduce agricultural production and contribute to the decline of local businesses and traditional communities. Over time, some rural areas may become increasingly underdeveloped because there are fewer people available to support schools, shops and other services.

At the same time, rapid urbanisation can put considerable pressure on cities. A sudden increase in population may lead to traffic congestion, overcrowded housing, pollution and pressure on healthcare and public transport. For example, when a large number of people move to a major city in search of work, affordable housing may become difficult to find, forcing some families to live in poorly developed areas.

In conclusion, although moving to cities can provide people with better jobs, education and services, the continuous decline of rural populations is generally a negative development. Governments should therefore invest in rural infrastructure, employment and education so that people can have good opportunities without being forced to leave their communities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The response addresses all parts of the task thoroughly, presenting a clear position throughout that the trend is largely negative despite some acknowledged economic advantages. The introduction sets out the writer's stance directly, and subsequent body paragraphs thoughtfully explore both the benefits of urban migration, such as better employment and educational opportunities in cities like technology and healthcare, and the drawbacks, including the loss of the rural workforce and urban congestion. Ideas are generally well-extended and supported with logical explanations, such as how the lack of a workforce contributes to the decline of local businesses and traditional communities. To reach the highest band, the arguments could benefit from even deeper contextualisation or specific real-world examples rather than general scenarios, yet the current level of development successfully covers all aspects of the prompt with strong clarity.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

There is a clear logical organisation and progression throughout the essay, demonstrating a strong command of structure from introduction to conclusion. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each body paragraph dedicated to a distinct theme: advantages in the second paragraph, rural consequences in the third, and urban pressures in the fourth. The writer uses cohesive devices flexibly and naturally, such as 'In contrast', 'In addition', 'However', and 'At the same time', guiding the reader smoothly through the arguments. Referencing is consistently clear, ensuring that pronouns and demonstratives point accurately to previously mentioned ideas. While the flow is natural and coherent, achieving an even higher band would require a slightly more subtle and unobtrusive integration of cohesive elements, avoiding any slight predictability in transition markers.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient lexical range to allow for flexibility and precision, successfully using less common and topic-specific vocabulary with an awareness of style and collocation. Phrases such as 'rural-to-urban migration', 'career prospects', 'large-scale movement', 'rapid urbanisation', and 'traffic congestion' are handled appropriately and enhance the quality of the writing. Word choice is generally accurate, and spelling is correct throughout the piece. Occasional minor lapses prevent it from reaching a higher descriptor; for example, while the vocabulary is well-suited to an academic context, it stops short of the fully fluent, flexible, and sophisticated range of uncommon lexical items that characterises top-tier responses.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 8.0

The response showcases a wide range of structures, incorporating numerous complex sentences with subordinate clauses and conditional elements seamlessly into the text. The majority of sentences are error-free, and the writer demonstrates excellent control of grammar, verb forms, tenses, and punctuation. Complex constructions like 'When young and working-age people leave the countryside, villages may lose an important part of their workforce' and 'Governments should therefore invest in rural infrastructure... so that people can have good opportunities' are executed with high precision. Only very occasional minor slips or minor structural limitations occur, placing the grammar at a remarkably high level of accuracy and control throughout the entire essay.

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