Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-03

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)

Many people from the rural areas are moving to cities in search of better opportunities. The urban areas have good quality of education, access to broader range of employement opportunities and advanced health care services.Although, all these factors would lead to a better lifestyle, the population in the countryside is decreasing.

The decline in the population in the country side results in a negative development. The rural areas serve many important factors that contribute to the economy of the country. For example, one of the major factor is agriculture and if people will countinue to move from rural areas, this could cause a significant decline in the number of skilled farmers. As a result, the agricultural growth and prosperity is at higher risk and in future we can predict a major decline in its progress.

Moreover, rural people moving to cities would increase the population of the urban areas. In order to cater the increasing population, more residential colonies must be developed and this development is made by compromising on various environment factors. For example, to build these residential socities, we need more space and this space is made by doing deforestation that would directly have an impact on climate change. In addition to it, increase in population will also cause an increase in traffic and vehicles on road. As a result, this could lead to traffic disruption and also contribute negatively to the environment.

In order to maintain balance in rural and urban areas' population, the development of better education and health care services in rural areas must be done.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you consider the movement from rural areas to cities negative, and you support this with relevant points about agriculture, urban expansion, deforestation and traffic. The final recommendation to improve rural education and healthcare also relates to the issue. This meets the task well, and the agriculture and environmental points show some development through cause-and-effect explanations. However, the claim that fewer rural residents will reduce the number of skilled farmers is not fully explained, and the effects on agriculture remain general. The opening acknowledges why people move but does not explore that contrast in depth. To strengthen the response further, develop one or two examples more specifically and explain their consequences in greater detail.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a coherent overall structure: an introduction states the issue and position, two body paragraphs present separate reasons, and the conclusion offers a response. Linking expressions such as “For example,” “As a result,” and “Moreover” help show relationships between ideas. The progression from rural agricultural effects to pressure on cities is logical. At times, however, connections feel mechanical, particularly with repeated cause-and-effect transitions, and some references are not fully clear: “this development” could refer to urban growth or the construction of housing. The final paragraph is also brief compared with the body paragraphs. Use a wider range of linking methods, make references more precise, and connect the recommendation explicitly to the problems discussed.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic-related vocabulary, including “agricultural growth,” “residential colonies,” “deforestation,” and “traffic disruption,” which allows you to discuss both rural and urban consequences. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “in order to cater” and “contribute negatively.” Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, however: “serve many important factors” does not express the intended meaning, and “environment factors” is imprecise. Spelling errors such as “employement,” “countinue,” and “socities” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more natural collocations and check spelling carefully; this would make the vocabulary more precise and flexible.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional and cause-and-effect structures: “if people will continue to move…” and “In order to cater the increasing population…”. Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors occur. For example, “Although, all these factors…” is not correctly punctuated or connected, and “one of the major factor is” has a number-agreement error. The conditional clause “if people will continue” also needs a more suitable verb form, while “the agricultural growth and prosperity is” has a subject–verb agreement problem. Review articles, agreement, and clause punctuation, and practise forming conditionals accurately. Greater control of these patterns would make the complex sentences more reliable.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.