Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-05

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 7.0)

In the contemporary times, urbanization is one of the common trends found across the globe. Many people shift to urban areas in order to seek employment opportunities, resulting in decrease of countryside population. I largely believe that it is a negative development.

The uneven distribution of population among cities and villages can prove to be harmful for overall society. When the population moves towards cities, there is a pressure on infrastructure to sustain it. As as result, tall apartments are build providing accommodation and housing at higher rates. Additionally, more countryside people shifting to cities will result in overcrowding and traffic congestion. For instance, Karachi is one of the major cities in Pakistan, suffering from overpopulation. People from neighbouring cities and villages move there to pursue education or find employment. Consequently, there are traffic and environmental issues, making it one of the least liveable cities.

Morever, it can have a harmful effect on the rural areas as well. The urban migration can lead to decline of rural communities. Therefore, the local culture, traditions and languages will be endangered. Furthermore, if everyone will start joining corporate world, the agriculture sector will collapse. For countries like Pakistan, whose economy is based on agriculture, it can cause economical as well as social instability. The other drawback is that the rural areas will be left with older population and skilled people will be working in cities. As a result, no one will be there to improve the situations and address the problems.

In conclusion, urbanziation has resulted in overcrowding in cities and underpopulation in countryside. Cities will have pressure to develop infrastructure resulting in an expensive housing, and ecological problems. Whereas the countryside having only older population will result in the extinction of local culture, and destruction of agricultural sector.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response clearly addresses all parts of the task by presenting a well-developed position that the rural-to-urban shift is a negative development. The writer establishes a clear stance from the introduction and maintains it throughout the essay. Ideas are extended and supported with relevant examples, such as the mention of Karachi to illustrate urban overpopulation, traffic congestion, and environmental issues. However, there is a slight tendency to overgeneralise in places, such as claiming that 'if everyone will start joining corporate world, the agriculture sector will collapse,' which holds back the response from achieving a higher band. Overall, the main arguments regarding infrastructure strain and the cultural and economic impacts on rural areas are well-selected and relevant.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct central topic, moving smoothly from the introduction to the impacts on cities, the consequences for rural areas, and a concise conclusion. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, including transitional phrases like 'Additionally,' 'Furthermore,' and 'In conclusion,' though there is some minor mechanical use. Paragraphing is managed sufficiently and appropriately, helping the reader to navigate the writer's arguments effortlessly. To reach an even higher band, referencing and cohesion could be made slightly more subtle and varied, avoiding occasional formulaic transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The vocabulary used is adequate and provides a sufficient range for the task, allowing the writer to convey their ideas with reasonable precision. The student attempts less common lexical items, such as 'urbanization,' 'uneven distribution,' 'overcrowding,' and 'environmental issues' with some awareness of style and collocation. However, there are occasional lexical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'In the contemporary times' instead of 'In contemporary times' and 'tall apartments are build' which combines a spelling slip with word form issues. Additionally, the spelling error 'Morever' occurs in the third paragraph. These minor inaccuracies demonstrate the characteristics of a solid performance that successfully communicates meaning despite occasional slips.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures such as conditional clauses and relative clauses. There is good control over punctuation and sentence boundaries overall. However, a few grammatical errors persist throughout the text, including article omissions and misuse, such as 'resulting in decrease of countryside population' missing the article 'a,' and subject-verb agreement or tense slips like 'no one will be there to improve the situations.' While these errors occur, they rarely impede communication and the complex structures attempt to add variety, fitting the descriptor where a mix of forms is present alongside some persistent errors.

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