Is Relocation to Cities for Work a Positive or Negative Trend?
A complete IELTS General Training Writing Task 2 question with a model answer of 275 words, plus a breakdown of the sentence structures, cohesive devices and vocabulary that answer uses. Write your own version first, then compare.
Written by Manish Sharma · CELTA and DELTA qualified · 8 years teaching IELTS
Score my answer to this questionThe question
You have 40 minutes. Write at least 250 words.
In many countries, large numbers of people relocate from rural areas to cities in search of work. Do you think this is a positive or negative trend? Write at least 250 words.
How to approach it
- 01State your position clearly in the introduction and stick to it throughout
- 02Acknowledge the opposing view so your argument feels balanced
- 03Use specific city or country examples to ground your claims
- 04Vary opinion language: 'I believe', 'in my view', 'on balance'
- 05Conclude by restating your position, not by introducing new arguments
- 06Use vocabulary like 'urbanisation', 'rural depopulation', 'informal settlements'
Model answer
275 words in 5 paragraphs. Read it after you have written your own, not before: the point of a model answer is to show you what you missed, and you cannot miss anything you have not attempted.
Across much of the world, the movement of workers from villages and small towns to large cities continues to accelerate. While this trend brings undeniable hardships, I consider it, on balance, a positive development for both individuals and the economies that absorb them.
The strongest argument in favour of urban migration is economic opportunity. Cities concentrate industries, services, and innovation in a way that rural areas typically cannot match. A young person from a farming community who relocates to Mumbai or Manila gains access to better wages, formal employment with legal protections, and training programmes that can lift an entire household out of poverty. Cities also offer higher-quality healthcare, better-resourced schools for migrants' children, and a wider range of cultural experiences. For women in particular, urban life can mean greater autonomy and freedom from rigid traditional roles.
Critics of this trend, however, point to serious downsides. Rapid urban growth often outpaces the supply of affordable housing, leading to overcrowded informal settlements, traffic congestion, and strained sanitation. The countryside, meanwhile, loses its most productive workers, leaving behind an ageing population and abandoned farmland. Migrants themselves frequently endure long working hours, social isolation, and a loss of cultural roots.
On balance, however, I believe the benefits outweigh the costs. Most of the negative effects can be eased through better policy — investment in public transport, affordable housing, and rural infrastructure — whereas the economic mobility migration unlocks is genuinely life-changing. Throughout history, urbanisation has been one of the most reliable engines of poverty reduction.
In conclusion, while the rural-to-urban shift creates real challenges, I see it as a predominantly positive trend that, with thoughtful planning, can deliver widespread prosperity.
What this answer actually does
Measured from the text above, and compared against the other 69 answers of the same type in this library. These are counts, not band scores: they describe what the writing does, which is the part you can copy.
16 fewer than the median answer for this task type
9 words at the shortest, 35 at the longest
4 more than the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 18.3 words and vary by 7 words either side of that, running from 9 words to 35. Variation is the point. Grammatical Range and Accuracy rewards a mix of simple and complex sentences, and an answer where every sentence is the same length reads as flat no matter how correct it is. 5 of the 15 sentences here carry a subordinate or relative clause.
The cohesive devices it uses
10 in total, spread across 4 different functions. Range matters more than count: an answer that opens every paragraph with a sequencer signals its structure but never signals a relationship between ideas, and Coherence and Cohesion is marked on both.
however, whereas, while
in particular
meanwhile
in conclusion, on balance
Vocabulary and repetition
Ignoring grammar words, 89 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 80 per cent appear exactly once. Lexical Resource is where repetition costs the most marks, and the usual cause is not a small vocabulary but reaching for the same noun every time the topic is named.
The longest run of words copied straight from the question is 2 words. Examiners discount wording lifted from the question, so a short run here is the right outcome: the answer restates the topic in its own words rather than borrowing the question's.
What you are marked on
All four criteria carry equal weight, and your Writing band is their average rounded to the nearest half band.
Task Response
Present and support a clear position on the trend
Coherence & Cohesion
Logical organisation with clear progression
Lexical Resource
Use a range of vocabulary for migration and economics
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Use complex sentences with accurate punctuation
You have read one model answer. Now get one marked.
Paste your own attempt at this question and get a band for each criterion, with the exact sentences costing you marks.
Score my answer