Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-25

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 several parts of the world, people are shifting from countryside to cities which results in the decrease of population in rural areas. I believe, it should be viewed as a negative development because it leads to overcrowding in the cities and there would be social inequalities among people as well.

Most people in the rural areas are moving to urban areas due to the lack of facilities in villages, which is beneficial for the rural people but it results in overpopulation. Put another words, huge shift of people from countryside to city areas will make the cities congested which, in turn, increase the competition among the population due to the shortage of available facilities in the cities. For instance, there was a huge migration from rural to urban areas took place in developing countries, including Pakistan and India, at the time of partition. This era was considered a disaster as adjusting people in one limited place was nearly impossible. Therefore, people had to compete with each other to fulfil their basic needs, resulting in huge disputes and offenses.

In addition, social inequality is one of the major drawback of this type of migration. In other words, rural people tend to face discrimination in many areas such as, finding housing, differences in the class and facing employment issues etc. It results in some rural people to move back to the countryside, in order to prevent themselves from such discrimination. For instance, most of the students along with their families move to city areas to get a better education and living. However, due to the lack of employment opportunities, they were not able to even fulfil their basic necessities and have no other option, just to move back where they belong.

In conclusion, although rural-to-urban migration is justifiable, I think it is a negative development because this type of migration will result in overpopulation in the cities and rural migrants are more likely to experience social inequality.

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 because it can overcrowd cities and contribute to social inequality. Both reasons are relevant, and you support them with examples, including migration in Pakistan and India and students moving for education. This addresses the task well. However, the first example focuses on partition-era migration, which is not clearly connected to the general trend described in the question, and the second paragraph’s account of students returning to rural areas could explain more precisely how migration creates inequality. Develop the cause-and-effect links and use examples that directly illustrate the present-day trend to make the argument more fully convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your view, two body paragraphs present separate reasons, and the conclusion restates your position. Linking phrases such as “In addition,” “For instance,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the argument. Some connections, however, are mechanical or unclear. “Put another words” introduces a restatement, but the following sentence mainly adds consequences; likewise, the shift from students seeking education to their families returning to the countryside needs a clearer explanation. The reference “This era” also makes the example’s connection to the preceding point less precise. Use transitions that express the exact relationship between ideas and make each example’s relevance explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary to discuss migration and its effects, including “overpopulation,” “congested,” “discrimination,” and “employment opportunities.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and some less common terms are attempted. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “Put another words,” “huge shift of people,” and “differences in the class.” There is also repetition of “rural,” “city,” and “people,” which limits flexibility. Aim for more natural academic collocations and vary repeated terms—for example, refer to “urban centres,” “rural residents,” or “social class distinctions” where appropriate. These refinements would make your argument sound more precise and fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “because,” “which,” and “although,” and your meaning is generally clear. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “which, in turn, increase the competition” needs subject–verb agreement, while “there was a huge migration … took place” combines two incompatible clause structures. In “It results in some rural people to move back,” the verb pattern is incorrect; use “causes some rural people to move back.” Review these patterns and check punctuation around introductory clauses. More consistently accurate complex sentences would strengthen control without sacrificing the range you already attempt.

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