Task 2 · · 18 samples

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?

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Plan your answer

Try your own response before reading the samples.

Ideas to explore

  • Population loss can affect rural shops, schools and informal support.
  • City opportunities depend on housing, transport and service capacity.
  • Respect for individual choice can coexist with balanced regional investment.

Suggested structure

  1. Give an overall positive or negative judgement with any necessary condition.
  2. Explain the effect on the communities people leave.
  3. Explain urban opportunities and capacity pressures.
  4. Weigh the effects and conclude consistently.
Useful vocabulary & examples
rural depopulation
a decline in the number of people living in countryside areas

Rural depopulation can make local services harder to maintain.

urban capacity
a city’s ability to accommodate residents through housing and services

Planning should increase urban capacity as demand grows.

balanced regional development
improvement that considers the needs of different areas

Balanced regional development can preserve meaningful choices.

Sample answers

AI-completed learning example

351 words · Illustrative target band

Since the onset of the Second Industrial Revolution two centuries ago, the global urban population has experienced significant growth. This trend of urbanization has sparked ongoing debates regarding whether the migration from rural areas to urban centers constitutes a positive or negative development. One of the primary adverse effects of population decline in rural areas is the loss of customers and younger workers…

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AI-completed learning example

345 words · Illustrative target band

The urbanized world has witnessed countless people moving from rural areas to cities, leading to a significant decrease in the countryside population. Personally speaking, this trend is decidedly a negative development for humanity as a whole. The trend of moving to cities means that there are more people concentrated in urban areas, which can help support some shared services. However, those gains depend on planning…

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AI-completed learning example

339 words · Illustrative target band

Nowadays, the population in the countryside of numerous countries is declining as more and more rural people are moving to cities. This is a negative development as it causes an imbalance between urban and rural areas, leading to several severe social issues. Firstly, the depopulation of the countryside can significantly hinder the economy of both urban and rural areas when services and employment do not adapt to the…

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