Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-07

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 from villages are moving to cities, which causes the rural population to decrease. I believe this is a negative development because it creates problems for both city infrastructures and the farming industries.

First of all, the main disadvantage of this movement is that it leaves rural areas without enough young workers. As the people, who are leaving are the young ones who has the power to do the labour work and they are moving to do work in cities. As a result, the countryside is left with the aging population who do not have the power to do manual labour. This has the main effect on food production. For example, many farms are abondoned because there is no one to plant and harvest the crops. This forces government to buy food from the other countries which effect the national economy.

On the other hand, moving to a cities can improves person's life. Cities are the center of business and education. For a villager, city offers a well paid jobs, better universities and advanced hospital that are not in the rural areas. Therefore, urban life escapes people from poverty, and allow them to fulfil their dreams and lives a happy life.

In conclusion, although moving to cities gives a better job and healthcare to a person, it is a negative trend for the society. Government need to invest more money to the rural areas to stop this problem and balance the population both in the villages and cities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction to the conclusion: you consider rural-to-urban migration negative overall, chiefly because it reduces the rural workforce and affects food production. The example of farms being abandoned helps support this view, and you also acknowledge the benefits of city life, including jobs, education and healthcare. This addresses both the positive and negative aspects of the question. However, the city-related benefits are listed rather than explained, and the link between food imports and the national economy needs clearer development. To strengthen the response, explain how these effects arise and add a specific example or consequence for city infrastructure, which is mentioned in the introduction but not developed in the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your view, the body paragraphs discuss rural disadvantages and urban benefits, and the conclusion restates your position and proposes government investment. Sequencing phrases such as “First of all,” “As a result,” and “In conclusion” make the progression easy to follow. However, the first body paragraph’s opening explanation is fragmented: “As the people, who are leaving are the young ones…” does not connect smoothly to the preceding sentence. Some links are also mechanical, and the conclusion introduces a policy recommendation without developing it earlier. For stronger progression, combine related points into complete sentences and use clearer references to show how each consequence follows from the previous one.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “rural population,” “food production,” “aging population,” “national economy,” and “advanced hospital.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and there is some attempt to use more specific language than basic everyday terms. However, several word-choice and collocation errors make the expression less natural, such as “city infrastructures,” “labour work,” “escapes people from poverty,” and “fulfil their dreams and lives a happy life.” Spelling errors such as “abondoned” also reduce accuracy. Build a more reliable range by learning common word partnerships and checking spelling; for example, use “urban infrastructure,” “manual labour,” and “lift people out of poverty.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “which causes the rural population to decrease” and a conditional structure in “because there is no one to plant and harvest the crops.” Most of the meaning remains understandable, but some errors in sentence construction and agreement are noticeable. For example, “the people, who are leaving are the young ones who has” has faulty clause structure and subject–verb agreement, while “moving to a cities can improves” combines an incorrect article and verb form. There are also errors in “Government need” and “allow them to fulfil … and lives.” To improve, check agreement and verb forms, and revise sentences that begin with “As” so they form complete, grammatically connected clauses.

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