IELTS Writing Task 2 — Cities and Urbanisation: a Band 9 sample answer

Every year, millions of people abandon rural life in search of opportunity in the world's great cities. While this migration fuels economic growth, it also places enormous strain on the places people flock to. This essay will examine the chief difficulties that rapid urbanisation creates before proposing some realistic remedies.

The most glaring problem is the pressure on housing and infrastructure. When newcomers arrive faster than homes can be built, rents soar and sprawling slums spring up on the outskirts, often lacking clean water or sanitation. Closely linked to this is the strain on public services: hospitals overflow, schools become overcrowded, and roads designed for thousands end up carrying millions, leaving commuters trapped in gridlock for hours. Such conditions can erode the very quality of life that drew people to the city in the first place.

Fortunately, these challenges are far from insurmountable. Governments could ease the housing crisis by investing in affordable, high-density apartments and by improving public transport so that people can live further from the centre yet still reach work easily. Equally important is tackling the root cause. By creating jobs, schools and reliable healthcare in rural regions, authorities can reduce the need to migrate at all, spreading prosperity more evenly across the country rather than concentrating it in a handful of overcrowded hubs.

In conclusion, although mass migration to cities brings housing shortages and overstretched services, these problems can be managed through careful planning and rural development. With the political will to act, cities can grow without sacrificing the wellbeing of their residents.