Government & SocietyProblem–Solution
IELTS Essay: Rural to Urban Migration (Band 9 vs 6.5)
In short
Below is a full Band 9 model answer to this IELTS Writing Task 2 question, the same question written at Band 6.5, and a criterion-by-criterion breakdown of exactly what separates them — so you can see what to change in your own writing. Then check your essay with the free tool.
The question
In many countries, more and more people are moving from rural areas to live in cities. What problems does this movement cause? What measures could be taken to deal with these problems?
How to approach a Problem–Solution question
A problem/solution question needs realistic causes or problems in one body paragraph and directly matching solutions in the other. Keep the two linked — each solution should address a problem you actually raised — and be specific: vague answers like 'the government should do more' score poorly compared with concrete, plausible measures.
The plan
- 01Introduction: paraphrase the trend of rural-to-urban migration and signal that the essay will outline its main problems and realistic responses.
- 02Body 1: problems - overstretched housing and services in cities, and the hollowing-out of rural communities left behind.
- 03Body 2: solutions that match those problems - investment in affordable housing and transport, plus incentives that bring jobs and services back to rural regions.
- 04Conclusion: summarise that the pressures are serious but manageable if governments act on both ends of the migration route.
Band 9 model answer
Across the developing and developed world alike, villages are emptying as their residents seek opportunity in cities. This migration creates serious difficulties both for the urban centres that absorb newcomers and for the rural communities they leave behind, yet targeted government action can address each of these pressures.
The problems fall on both ends of the journey. Cities that grow faster than their infrastructure suffer chronic housing shortages, which drive rents beyond the reach of ordinary workers and push new arrivals into overcrowded or informal settlements. Hospitals, schools and transport networks designed for smaller populations become overstretched, degrading daily life for established residents and migrants alike. Meanwhile, the countryside experiences the mirror image of this congestion: as working-age adults depart, villages are left with ageing populations, shrinking schools and closing businesses, a decline that in turn pushes even more people to leave.
Fortunately, each problem suggests its own remedy. In the cities, governments should plan for growth rather than react to it, by releasing land for affordable housing, investing in public transport before districts are built, and upgrading utilities in poorer neighbourhoods. At the same time, the most durable solution is to reduce the pressure to migrate at all. Tax incentives can persuade employers to locate offices and factories in regional towns, while high-speed internet and decent rural healthcare make staying a genuine choice rather than a sacrifice. Several countries have slowed the exodus precisely by making provincial life viable.
In conclusion, rural-to-urban migration strains city services and hollows out the countryside, but neither consequence is inevitable. Governments that invest in urban capacity while reviving rural economies can manage the flow rather than be overwhelmed by it.
The same question at Band 6.5
Nowadays, many people are moving from the countryside to the cities in many countries. This trend causes some serious problems for the cities and also for the villages. In this essay, I will discuss these problems and give some solutions.
The first problem is that cities become too crowded. When many people come to the city, there are not enough houses for everyone, so the price of houses and rent become very high. Poor people cannot afford a good place to live. Also, the hospitals and schools are too busy and the traffic jam is very bad every day. The second problem is about the villages. When young people leave, only old people stay in the village. The farms do not have enough workers and the shops close because there are no customers. So the village becomes more poor.
There are some solutions for these problems. Firstly, the government should build more cheap houses in the cities so everyone can have a home. They should also improve the public transport like bus and train to reduce the traffic. Secondly, the government should create more jobs in the countryside. If there are good jobs and good schools in the villages, young people will not need to move to the city. For example, companies can open factories in rural areas and get lower tax from the government.
In conclusion, moving from rural areas to cities causes overcrowding in the cities and problems for the villages. The government should build more houses and create jobs in the countryside to solve this situation.
What separates them, criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Band 9 | Band 6.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Task Response | Answers both questions fully, develops problems on 'both ends of the journey', and pairs every solution with a problem it actually addresses. | Covers problems and solutions relevantly, but development is thin ('the village becomes more poor') and solutions stay at the level of 'the government should'. |
| Coherence & Cohesion | A clear problem paragraph and solution paragraph, linked by the framing idea that 'each problem suggests its own remedy'; cohesion is varied and unobtrusive ('Meanwhile', 'At the same time'). | Organised into sensible paragraphs, but connected by a small set of mechanical markers ('The first problem', 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'So'). |
| Lexical Resource | Topic-specific and precise: 'informal settlements', 'overstretched', 'hollowing-out', 'slowed the exodus', 'make staying a genuine choice'. | Understandable but limited and repetitive ('problem', 'good', 'too busy'); errors such as 'more poor' and 'the traffic jam is very bad'. |
| Grammatical Range & Accuracy | Confident complex structures, including relative and participial clauses ('Cities that grow faster than their infrastructure', 'a decline that in turn pushes even more people to leave'), with rare slips. | Mostly simple sentences with recurring agreement and article errors ('the price of houses and rent become very high') that seldom obscure meaning. |
Examiner's note
The Band 9 answer stands out for symmetry: the problems are located in both the city and the village, and every solution maps onto a named problem, which is exactly what a problem/solution question rewards. The Band 6.5 answer has the right architecture and relevant ideas, but its solutions are generic government wishes and its language recycles the same simple words - the classic gap between a competent plan and a persuasive essay.
Vocabulary from the Band 9 answer
| Word / phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| rural-to-urban migration | the movement of people from the countryside to cities |
| overstretched services | public services forced to serve more people than they were designed for |
| informal settlements | unplanned housing areas, often without legal status or proper utilities |
| to hollow out | to empty something of its people or strength from the inside |
| an ageing population | a community in which the average age is rising |
| tax incentives | reductions in tax designed to encourage particular behaviour |
| to slow the exodus | to reduce the rate at which large numbers of people leave |
| viable | capable of working successfully; realistic as an option |
| urban capacity | a city's ability to house, transport and serve its population |
Frequently asked questions
Should problems and solutions go in the same paragraph or separate ones?
Either can work, but the clearest structure for most candidates is one paragraph of problems and one of matching solutions. Whichever you choose, every solution should visibly answer a problem you raised - unmatched solutions cost Task Response marks.
How many problems and solutions should I include?
Two well-developed problems with two matching solutions beat four undeveloped ones. Depth of explanation - why the problem happens, how the solution fixes it - is what separates Band 7+ answers from lists.
Is 'the government should…' a weak solution?
Not by itself, but it becomes weak when it stays vague. Specify the mechanism: not 'the government should help villages' but 'tax incentives can persuade employers to locate factories in regional towns'.