Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-13

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)

It is undeniable, that in many nations around the globe, rural residents are moving to cities, leading to a reduction in population in the countryside. In this regard, this essay will outline both the positive and negative developments of this scenario along with my opinion aligning with the former point of view in upcoming paragraphs with a relevant conclusion.

To commence with, over the last century, trends in population migration from rural to urban area have substantially increased. The prime reason for this is the lack of available opportunities in the countryside. To explain it, rural sectors have jobs that are limited to agriculture and its adjacent sectors, most people live in poor conditions below the poverty line, this directly causes them to search for opportunities in urban areas. For example, a landless rural worker earns minimal wages by working in farms, and often leaves to work in the city. Secondly, workers coming to cities increase economic productivity, as they work in factories, leading to growth in the country's gross domestic product. To elaborate further, a metropolitan city provides the public with all the services and amenities, that most rural areas lack. As a result, cities start expanding due to increase in housing and population. Rural immigrants support the backbone of urban industries by filling workspaces. Urban areas also pay much higher than rural areas, helping workers support their families.

However, rural migration to cities is not without it's drawbacks. The first and foremost is that it leads to lack of workers in the agriculture sector, that stalls the food industry. For an epitome, increasing population causes the expansion of cities, which destroys vegetation and damages the environment. Apart from this, many village reidents leave their households to work in the city, moving them apart from their families. Moreover, most rural families that move to cities, have to start fresh from square one, leaving behind all the efforts, they made in the countryside. Nevertheless, i personally think that this is a positive development, as migration to cities supports the economy and gives people the chance to upgrade their lives and social status. To clarify it, most successful people in cities, once moved from their villages to urban centers in search for success and reputation.

In conclusion, although migration of rural villagers to cities has some negatives, it is a positive development to much extent, if there is moderation in migration and rural areas don't lack workers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear: you consider rural-to-urban migration positive, and you return to this view in the body and conclusion. You address both sides, giving relevant reasons such as increased urban productivity and the loss of agricultural workers, and you support points with examples like a landless farm worker seeking city employment. This meets the task well. Some claims, however, are broad or only briefly explained: the link between migration and GDP growth is asserted rather than illustrated, while the effects on families and the environment receive limited development. To strengthen the response further, explain the consequences of these points in more detail and qualify generalisations, while keeping your position consistently focused on whether the overall development is positive or negative.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for benefits and drawbacks, and a conclusion. The progression from reasons for migration to its economic effects is generally understandable, and signposts such as “However” and “In conclusion” help orient the reader. At times, though, linking is mechanical or the relationship between ideas is not fully clear. The first body paragraph moves from limited rural jobs to city amenities, housing expansion, and wages without a sufficiently explicit chain of reasoning. The long introductory sentence also previews the essay awkwardly. Use fewer formulaic transitions and make links between claims explicit; grouping related points and using clearer references would make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a reasonably broad range of topic vocabulary, including “population migration,” “agriculture sector,” “economic productivity,” and “gross domestic product.” These choices allow you to discuss both economic and social effects, and the meaning is generally clear. However, some less common expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “for an epitome,” “start fresh from square one,” and “upgrade their lives.” There are also spelling and word-choice slips, including “reidents” and “workspaces” where “jobs” or “positions” would be more natural. This shows useful range, but not yet consistently precise control of collocation and style. Prefer straightforward, accurate phrasing when an ambitious expression does not fit the context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including cause-and-effect clauses and contrast, as in “although migration … has some negatives, it is a positive development.” Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical and punctuation errors recur. For example, “It is undeniable, that” has an unnecessary comma, and “rural area” should be plural in this context. The sentence beginning “rural sectors have jobs…” joins independent clauses with commas, while “it's drawbacks” uses the wrong form of the possessive. There are also inconsistent capitalisation and article or agreement choices. These errors rarely prevent understanding, but they limit accuracy. Review sentence boundaries, possessives, articles, and singular/plural agreement, then proofread for punctuation and capital letters.

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