Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-04

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)

There is a growing phenomenon globally where people living in the countryside are migrating to urban areas, which had resulted to a reduction of the population in rural areas. It is my opinion that this change has a disadvantage effect on both areas affecting the quality of living and agricultural condition of the country.

Arguably, there are several reasons why people choose to live in large cities, various employment opportunities, access to public services, healthcare facilities, education, and better public transportation are made accessible for everyone. These reasons are enough for them to made up their mind to stay for good in the metropolitan.

Nevertheless, an influx of people in cities may lead to more congested areas. Many individuals are now considered homeless and living in a bad condition in so many areas around the cities. This can negatively affect quality of life, making them prone to diseases. Some may have a difficulty finding a job because of the growing competition. As a result, many people resort to committing crimes, increasing crime rates and decreasing safety in most public places.

Moreover, the agricultural sector will suffer the most from the threat of losing people to carry on the living. Nowadays, most of the farmer's children choose to take up administrative careers, affecting the future generation of people taking up agriculture-related jobs. Clearyly, this will cause a decline in the production of food such as grain, root crops, poultry and other valuable products. As a result, the government will be forced to import products from other countries which will cost thousands and millions. Hence, the government should think of programs and initiatives to encourage people to stay on their hometowns.

In conclusion, this growing movement of people to large cities carries a negative effect for both area. This should be addressed by the states and given a much better and permanent solution.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction: you view rural-to-urban migration as harmful to both cities and the countryside, and the conclusion restates this judgement. You address both effects with relevant points, including pressure on city housing and employment, and a possible decline in agricultural production. The agricultural argument is particularly relevant, but the link between young people choosing administrative careers and reduced food output would benefit from more explanation or a concrete example. The discussion of crime and homelessness is also quite general. To strengthen the response, develop each main claim with a clearer cause-and-effect explanation and support it with a specific example, while maintaining the clear position already established.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a coherent overall structure: an introduction states your view, separate paragraphs discuss urban and agricultural consequences, and a conclusion summarises your position. Transitions such as “Nevertheless,” “Moreover,” and “As a result” help readers follow the main progression. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “These reasons are enough for them to made up their mind” follows a list but does not clearly distinguish the reasons or explain their combined effect. In the city paragraph, the move from poor living conditions to crime could use a more explicit link. More precise referencing and a clearer sequence within paragraphs would make the argument flow more naturally and consistently.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “employment opportunities,” “public transportation,” “agricultural sector,” and “production of food.” These choices make the subject clear, and phrases such as “influx of people” show an attempt to use more formal language. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, however: “disadvantage effect,” “carry on the living,” and “stay on their hometowns” do not express the intended meanings naturally. There are also spelling errors, including “Clearyly,” and imprecise expressions such as “bad condition.” Aim to learn common word partnerships and check spelling; more precise phrasing would make your ideas sound clearer and more academic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “people living in the countryside are migrating to urban areas” and a conditional-style consequence in “the government will be forced to import products.” Meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “which had resulted” uses an unsuitable tense, “for them to made up their mind” has an incorrect verb form, and “both area” has a number-agreement error. The opening sentence also joins a list of reasons to a main clause without a clear grammatical connection. Review verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries, then proofread longer sentences to ensure each clause is complete and correctly linked.

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