Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-15

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)

In recent years, there has been an increase of inividuals from regional areas moving to urban towns, and this has lead to depopulation of rural areas. I firmly believe that this is largely a negative occurrence as it limits growth of countrysides and cities become overcrowded.

One of the major problems associated with the rural migration is overpopulation in cities. This brings a strain in resources because most urban areas are not designed to accomodate a large number of people. Furthermore, it becomes difficult to get jobs pushing many to a life of crime in order to sustain ther lifestlye. For instance, in cities like Nairobi, it is risky to use a mobile phone while sitting in traffic as it may be snatched through the window. The rise in crime is directly influenced by need to make ends meet in a crowded city.

In addition, the country remains underdeveloped when majority of people leave. This is because no companies and investors will not invest in areas where there are no people. Even if a project or company is set up there it becomes hard to run because nobody is willing to move there. Governments should set up indusries and developments to encourage people to relocate back there.

In conclusion, although people move to bigger towns in search for a better opportunities, stakeholders like the government should step in to mitigate the reduction in population that has happened in the rural areas. I believe that this move is an unfavourable development as should be controlled.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction: you regard rural-to-urban migration as negative because it can overcrowd cities and weaken rural development. Both sides of this argument are relevant, and the Nairobi example gives the discussion a concrete illustration of the crime concern. The conclusion also restates your view and proposes government action. To strengthen the response further, develop the causal links with more precision: explain how pressure on housing, transport, or public services follows from population growth, and support the claim that rural areas lose investment with a specific example or fuller explanation. The suggestion that people move back is mentioned, but its practical effect is not explored. Overall, the task is addressed with a consistent position and relevant support, though some points remain broad.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your view, two body paragraphs present separate reasons, and the conclusion returns to the central argument. The progression from urban pressures to rural underdevelopment is logical, and signposts such as “Furthermore,” “In addition,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the discussion. To make the links more natural and precise, avoid relying mainly on paragraph-opening transitions and show more clearly how each example supports the point immediately before it. For instance, the Nairobi phone-snatching example could be connected more explicitly to the broader claim about overcrowding and crime. The sentence about companies and investors also repeats the idea of low population in slightly different terms. Overall, organisation is clear, with some room for more flexible cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic-related vocabulary, including “depopulation,” “overpopulation,” “strain in resources,” “investors,” and “mitigate.” These choices allow you to discuss both urban pressures and rural decline, and the meaning is generally clear. There are, however, several spelling errors, including “inividuals,” “accomodate,” “ther,” “lifestlye,” and “indusries.” Some expressions are also imprecise or unnatural, such as “a better opportunities” and “the country remains underdeveloped,” where “rural areas” would be more exact. Aim to check spelling carefully and choose collocations that fit the intended meaning. More precise wording for infrastructure, employment, and investment would add flexibility without requiring unnecessarily complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a reason clause in “This is because…” and a concessive opening in “although people move to bigger towns…”. Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors occur. For example, “this has lead” should use the past participle “led,” and “it becomes difficult to get jobs pushing many…” needs clearer sentence structure, such as a comma and a subject for the second idea. In “no companies and investors will not invest,” the negative is duplicated, while “a better opportunities” has an article–plural mismatch. The final sentence, “as should be controlled,” is also incomplete in its construction. Review verb forms, articles, agreement, and clause boundaries to improve accuracy while retaining your range of sentence patterns.

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