Rural to Urban Migration: Positive or Negative Development

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?

Annotated response

12 correction notes

Showing 12 correction notes.

It is becoming increasingly common for residents to , rather than the countryside. In my opinion, this is a decidedly negative phenomenon for human society as a whole despite the economic benefits.

Those who support the current point out how it positively impacts the workforce. When the majority of a population is concentrated, this makes it easier for businesses to operate. For example, in cities such as Tokyo, there are millions of residents . support restaurants, cinemas, malls, arcades, parks, and . These businesses in turn provide jobs for locals and this creates a positive feedback loop and greatly enriches the quality of life . The best evidence for this is the number of people willing to move to cities for .

However, the are more significant. In past generations, there was greater diversity more varied lifestyle options. People living in the country were more likely to work outdoors and possess skills related to farming, hunting, and raising livestock. Today, most people live in cities and work corporate jobs and are experts in terms of marketing, finance, business, and customer service. These industries have a place in a healthy society but should not predominate over healthier, more active forms of gainful employment. As the world continues to transition to online-based jobs, the situation will only worsen.

In conclusion, although there are legitimate economic arguments to be made for urban migration, I would argue the are overwhelmingly negative. Governments should therefore implement policies to encourage more rural infrastructure and economic activity.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.0

The response presents a clear, consistently maintained position with well-organized paragraphs and a balanced treatment of both sides. Its main limitation is that the argument against urbanization develops lifestyle-related ideas somewhat loosely rather than fully exploring the consequences of rural depopulation itself, and support occasionally relies on assertion rather than concrete evidence.

IELTS criteria

How each score was decided

Task Response

7.0

The essay states a clear position throughout, addresses both benefits and drawbacks, and develops main ideas with examples, though the argument against urbanization sometimes drifts toward lifestyle preferences rather than the effects of rural population decline itself.

Coherence and Cohesion

7.0

Paragraphing is logical with a clear acknowledge-then-rebut structure, and ideas progress coherently, though some transitions and pronoun references are slightly mechanical.

Lexical Resource

7.0

Vocabulary is sufficiently flexible and largely precise, including natural collocations such as positive feedback loop, gainful employment, and outlying districts, with only minor awkwardness in phrases like greater diversity in terms of where residents lived.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

7.0

A wide range of complex structures is used with good control, including conditionals, relative clauses, and concession, and errors are rare and non-impeding.