Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-30

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)

The people living in rural areas are now migrating towards cities for easier access to their daily needs. I strongly believe that it is a positive development due to more employment opportunities and ensuring quality education.

On the other hand, this trend has numerous negative aspects too. This is primarily because the population density of cities will increase, and competition for basic rights such as food and transportation will occur. As a result, people will start treating each other as competitors. Overall, the bonding among the residents will lessen; as a result, harmony will no longer exist in the society. However, I think the positive aspects of this trend make life easier for rural people.

Due to industrialization, cities offer more work opportunities for rural people. First of all, coming in cities, they can involve themselves in various workplaces. This results in more income to live a standard life and fulfill all basic needs that they could not meet in rural areas. Secondly, there are many educational institutes that provide quality education for primary and secondary education for children. Even various universities provide specialized courses to make students more skilled in a particular field. Parents who dream of getting their children into such institutes will get the opportunity to admit them there. For example, a student who wants to pursue a career in the medical sector may never find a medical college in rural areas. To accomplish this, he must come to any urban city with a medical college.

In my opinion, although moving to cities has various drawbacks, I strongly think that this trend brings positivity in the lives of rural people by ensuring better education quality and work opportunities to lead a standard life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you consider rural-to-urban migration positive because it can improve employment and education, while acknowledging pressures on city services and social relationships. These points are relevant and the example of a student needing to move to attend medical college helps illustrate the education argument. However, the two main benefits are developed more fully than the drawbacks, and the negative points are asserted rather than supported with a specific example or explanation of their scale. The opening also refers to access to daily needs, but this idea is not developed later. To strengthen the response, explain more precisely how migration affects rural communities as well as migrants, and extend each key point with a concrete example or consequence.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph acknowledging disadvantages, a paragraph explaining benefits, and a concluding position. The progression from city pressures to employment and education is generally understandable, and signposts such as “First of all” and “Secondly” help readers follow the benefits. However, the opening paragraph of the body begins “On the other hand” without first developing the positive case introduced in the opening, so the sequence feels slightly awkward. “As a result” is repeated closely, and the final sentence largely repeats the introduction rather than drawing the discussion together. Organise the body so each paragraph has a clear role, use a wider range of linking and referencing, and make transitions between the opposing points more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary, including “population density,” “industrialization,” “specialized courses,” and “pursue a career,” which allows you to discuss the topic clearly. Meaning is generally understandable, but several expressions are imprecise or unnatural, such as “coming in cities,” “involve themselves in various workplaces,” and “the bonding among the residents.” “Basic rights such as food and transportation” is also not an exact description of the resources being discussed. These choices limit precision and naturalness, despite the range of topic-related terms. Work on common collocations and choose words that express the intended idea directly; for example, describe access to services or competition for resources rather than framing food and transport as rights.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including a conditional structure in “a student who wants to pursue a career … may never find a medical college” and a concession in “although moving to cities has various drawbacks.” Most sentences communicate their meaning, but some grammatical patterns are inaccurate. For example, “coming in cities” uses an incorrect preposition and construction, while “there are many educational institutes that provide quality education for primary and secondary education” has an awkward, repetitive structure. The sentence beginning “Overall” also joins two clauses with a semicolon and then repeats “as a result,” making the punctuation and sentence flow less controlled. Practise accurate clause construction and vary sentence patterns while checking prepositions and punctuation.

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