Growing city populations: IELTS Task 2 essay #4, band 5.5
A student’s answer to this repeated IELTS question, shared without their name and marked by Axiom on the four criteria. Select a highlighted passage to see how it could be revised, and why.
590 words. Marked by Axiom on 13 August 2025. Estimated by AI. It isn’t an official IELTS score.
Task 2590 words
Population in cities is growing rapidly. Whar are the effects of it ? What solutions can you give to maintain a good quality of life in urban areas ?
According to statistical data, the figure for people who are now choosing to live in urban areas is dramatically increasing. So, in many parts of the world, big cities is experiencing the state of urban overpopulation. This issue is contributing many other concerns for both societies and environment. However, it is possible to deal with this problem if proper measures are taken by governments and individuals.
One of the primary economic issues created by the state of overcrowding can be increasing rate of unemployment. Once individuals start to live urban areas, available vacancies may not be adequate. Therefore, those people can struggle to find well paid jobs. As a result, they will have no options other than committing crimes. This can lead to the issue of unemployment in cities, which can directly result in poverty in society. Another problem caused by an increase in urban population can be poor education. To be specific, People want to have their children educated in high quality institutions. If everyone's children arebthough in city school, the number of students studying in single class may exceed more than average. This can put considerable strain on education systems in those areas, meaning individuals may not be able to get quality education. Moreover, one main negative impact the problem of crowdedness can have on environment is recourse depletion. In other words, rapid population growing make the demands of individuals increase. Therefore, there may not be enough food , clean water, land and energy supplies to setisfy those demands. When people use more recourses, it can directly lead to pollution and climate change as a consequence of waste materials they are disposing. These are some of main concerns increasing urban pollution is resulting in.
Coherence & cohesion
RevisedOverpopulation can have significant effects on cities, including economic, social, and environmental aspects.
The revised sentence provides a smoother transition and more clarity on the aspects being discussed.
Grammar & accuracy
RevisedTo clarify, more and more people are drawn to urban areas mainly because these areas offer much more than just better career opportunities and an outstanding education system.
The revised sentence corrects the awkward construction and improves the clarity of the point being made.
Lexical resource
RevisedPoverty may potentially arise in situations where there is a lack of affordable housing.
The revised sentence uses more appropriate and formal language to convey the same meaning.
Grammar & accuracy
RevisedAlso, overpopulation can impact other areas of social life, such as the healthcare system, food supplies, and traffic congestion.
The revised sentence corrects the list format and improves the clarity of the point being made.
To explain, individuals offen change their place to urban areas since responsible bodies cannot meet human needs in terms of finance economy. In this case, those people will have to move cities in order to get better facilities and job opportunities. This also can allow to improve agriculture and lifestyle in rural areas. Another potential solution can be encouraging people to use their private cars less and promoting the usage of public transport instead. By doing this, authorities may be able to reduce traffic jams occuring in highway especially in rush hours. One urgent action government should take is generating sustainable energy from renewable sources such as, wind or sun. This measurement can enable to people use the natural resources of Earth less, avoiding delation of non renewable recourses due to overuse.
Coherence & cohesion
RevisedOne potential solution to this problem is to provide better living opportunities.
The revised sentence is more concise and clear, and it also uses a more appropriate word choice.
Lexical resource
RevisedIf the government strives to provide these facilities for their residents, it could encourage them to remain in the countryside.
The revised sentence uses more appropriate language and word choice to convey the same meaning.
Grammar & accuracy
RevisedThis, in turn, helps to reduce the release of methane emissions from cars.
The revised sentence corrects the sentence structure and improves the clarity of the point being made.
Although this is also causing other problems such as, unemployment, pollution and traffic jams, it can be tackled by making some changes ,for example, improve quality of life in countryside, encouraging the usage of public transportation and producing environmentally friendly power.
Coherence & cohesion
RevisedIn conclusion, the increasing population in urban areas is becoming a significant global issue.
The revised sentence provides a more accurate and formal conclusion to the essay.
Select a highlighted passage to see its suggested revision.
What Axiom wrote for each criterion: why the answer earned its band, and what to work on next.
Coherence & cohesion
Band 5.0/ 9
The essay is logically organized and the progression of ideas is clear. However, there are some issues with the flow of ideas and the use of linking words. The essay is well-structured, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. The use of headings helps to organize the content and make it easy to follow. However, there are some instances where the flow of ideas could be improved. For example, the transition between the economic, social, and environmental effects of overpopulation is a bit abrupt. More explicit signposting language could help to make these connections clearer. Additionally, the conclusion could be more effective in summarizing the key points and reiterating the proposed solutions.
Suggestions
- Use a variety of linking words to ensure smooth transition between ideas.
- Ensure that the conclusion effectively summarizes the key points and reiterates the proposed solutions.
Sentence revisions 3
RevisedOverpopulation can have significant effects on cities, including economic, social, and environmental aspects.
The revised sentence provides a smoother transition and more clarity on the aspects being discussed.
RevisedOne potential solution to this problem is to provide better living opportunities.
The revised sentence is more concise and clear, and it also uses a more appropriate word choice.
RevisedIn conclusion, the increasing population in urban areas is becoming a significant global issue.
The revised sentence provides a more accurate and formal conclusion to the essay.
Grammar & accuracy
Band 6.0/ 9
The essay demonstrates a good control of a wide range of grammatical structures. However, there are some instances of awkward or incorrect sentence construction. The essay demonstrates a good control of a range of grammatical structures, with a variety of sentence types used. However, there are some instances of awkward or incorrect sentence construction. For example, "cities have much to offer such as, better career opportunities and outstanding education system" should be "cities have much to offer, such as better career opportunities and an outstanding education system." Additionally, there are some instances of awkward phrasing and incorrect verb forms that could be improved.
Sentence revisions 3
RevisedTo clarify, more and more people are drawn to urban areas mainly because these areas offer much more than just better career opportunities and an outstanding education system.
The revised sentence corrects the awkward construction and improves the clarity of the point being made.
RevisedAlso, overpopulation can impact other areas of social life, such as the healthcare system, food supplies, and traffic congestion.
The revised sentence corrects the list format and improves the clarity of the point being made.
RevisedThis, in turn, helps to reduce the release of methane emissions from cars.
The revised sentence corrects the sentence structure and improves the clarity of the point being made.
Lexical resource
Band 6.0/ 9
The essay demonstrates a good command of a broad lexical repertoire. However, there are some instances of awkward or incorrect word choice. The essay demonstrates a good range of vocabulary, with appropriate use of academic language. However, there are some instances of awkward or incorrect word choice. For example, "outbreak" is not the best choice of word to describe the spread of poverty, and "setisfy" should be "satisfy." Additionally, there are some instances of repetition where a synonym could be used to improve variety.
Sentence revisions 3
RevisedPoverty may potentially arise in situations where there is a lack of affordable housing.
The revised sentence uses more appropriate and formal language to convey the same meaning.
RevisedIf the government strives to provide these facilities for their residents, it could encourage them to remain in the countryside.
The revised sentence uses more appropriate language and word choice to convey the same meaning.
RevisedThis measure can enable people to use the Earth's natural resources less, avoiding the depletion of non-renewable resources due to overuse.
The revised sentence uses more appropriate language and word choice to convey the same meaning.
Task response
Band 6.0/ 9
The essay addresses the task effectively, providing a clear position throughout the response. However, the conclusion could be more effective in summarizing the key points and reiterating the proposed solutions. The essay effectively addresses the prompt by discussing the effects of overpopulation in urban areas and proposing solutions to maintain a good quality of life. The writer presents a clear position and supports it with relevant examples and explanations. However, the essay could benefit from a more detailed exploration of the solutions proposed, as well as a more thorough conclusion that summarizes the key points and reiterates the proposed solutions.
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