Young people are leaving rural areas in large numbers to live in cities.
A full IELTS Writing Task 2 answer to this question, with a paragraph plan, ideas you can use, and the vocabulary that fits this topic.
The question
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Young people are leaving rural areas in large numbers to live in cities.
What problems does this cause, and how can these problems be solved?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
How to read this question
The distinctive feature of this problem is that it is self-reinforcing: each departure makes the place slightly less viable for those remaining, so the decline accelerates without anything new going wrong. Building the answer on that spiral explains why isolated measures fail and why the age profile left behind matters more than the raw population figure.
Paragraph plan
Introduction — Paraphrase, then signpost: the problems are a self-accelerating loss of services and a distorted age structure; the solutions must restore the reasons to stay rather than subsidise staying.
Body 1 — Problems — services close as numbers fall, which prompts more departures; and those left are disproportionately old, so care demand rises as carers leave.
Body 2 — Solutions — connectivity and remote work, keeping essential services above viability by redesign rather than closure, and supporting the economic base.
Conclusion — Payments to remain address the symptom; the durable answer is making the place viable, which requires acting before the spiral is advanced.
Model essay
Band 8.5–9.0 model essay
334 words
An increasing number of young people are abandoning rural areas in favour of city life. However, several measures could help address the problems this migration creates.
The most immediate consequence of this exodus is the gradual decline of rural communities themselves. To clarify, as young, economically active residents depart, villages are left with a disproportionately elderly population, resulting in the closure of essential services such as schools, medical clinics and shops due to insufficient demand from a shrinking customer base. This decline further discourages remaining young people from staying, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of depopulation that can be difficult to reverse. Meanwhile, cities absorbing this influx face mounting pressure on housing, transport and public services, since urban infrastructure is rarely expanded quickly enough to accommodate such rapid population growth, exacerbating overcrowding and driving up living costs for existing residents. Local traditions and dialects associated with these regions can also fade as fewer young people remain to carry them forward to the next generation.
To reverse this trend, governments should invest in expanding employment opportunities within rural regions, particularly by incentivising businesses and technology companies to establish offices outside major cities through tax breaks and subsidised rent. Improving rural infrastructure, including reliable high-speed internet, would also enable young people to pursue remote careers without relocating, thereby preserving local populations and community traditions. In addition, authorities could enhance rural quality of life by upgrading transport links to nearby cities and investing in local healthcare and educational facilities, making rural living a genuinely attractive alternative rather than a compromise driven by necessity. Offering financial incentives, such as reduced taxes or relocation grants for young professionals willing to settle in underpopulated regions, could further accelerate this reversal. Local councils could also promote regional tourism as an additional source of income for struggling rural businesses.
In conclusion, the mass departure of young people from rural areas accelerates village decline while straining city infrastructure, but targeted investment in rural employment, connectivity and public services could help reverse this damaging trend.
Created by a Band 8.5–9.0 IELTS Writing achiever — Premium. Sign up free to read the rest of this essay and unlock every model on the site.
This is a problem and solution question. The essay above shows you what a strong answer looks like when it is finished. What it cannot show you is how to get there from a blank page in forty minutes.
That is what our Writing Study Library is for: the structure we teach for this exact question type, the paragraph pattern that goes with it, and the sentence openers for each stage — so the essay is planned before you start writing rather than assembled as you go.
Introduction: Introduction — paraphrase that young people are leaving rural areas for cities in large numbers, and note that measures could address the resulting problems.
Body 1: Body 1 — explain the problems: rural communities decline as essential services close due to an ageing, shrinking population, while cities absorbing new arrivals face pressure on housing, transport and living costs.
Body 2: Body 2 — explain the solutions: governments should incentivise businesses to create rural jobs, expand high-speed internet for remote work, and upgrade rural transport, healthcare and education to make rural living attractive.
Conclusion: Conclusion — briefly summarise that youth migration accelerates village decline and strains cities, but targeted investment could reverse the trend.
Word or phrase
Meaning
Used in a sentence
exodus
a mass departure of people from a place
The most immediate consequence of this exodus is the gradual decline of rural communities themselves.
disproportionately elderly
having an unusually high share of older people compared with the norm
villages are left with a disproportionately elderly population.
self-reinforcing cycle
a pattern that continues to strengthen itself over time
creating a self-reinforcing cycle of depopulation that can be difficult to reverse.
depopulation
a significant decrease in the number of people living in an area
creating a self-reinforcing cycle of depopulation.
urban infrastructure
the physical systems (roads, transport, utilities) that support a city
urban infrastructure is rarely expanded quickly enough to accommodate such rapid population growth.
tax breaks
reductions in tax used to encourage certain behaviour
incentivising businesses and technology companies to establish offices outside major cities through tax breaks and subsidised rent.
high-speed internet
fast internet connectivity capable of supporting demanding online work
Improving rural infrastructure, including reliable high-speed internet, would also enable young people to pursue remote careers.
quality of life
the overall wellbeing and living conditions experienced by a person
authorities could enhance rural quality of life by upgrading transport links to nearby cities.
Created by a Band 8.5–9.0 IELTS Writing achiever — Premium. Sign up free to see the ideas and vocabulary for this topic and unlock every model on the site.
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Common questions
How do I explain why a problem gets worse over time?
Describe the feedback loop explicitly — departure closes services, closed services cause departure. Identifying a self-reinforcing mechanism is more analytical than listing consequences, and it justifies your emphasis on acting early.
Is it acceptable to argue against a common solution?
Yes, and here it is worth doing. Explaining why subsidies to remain fail — permanent cost, symptom not cause, spiral resumes when they stop — demonstrates evaluation, provided you have already offered something that addresses the cause.
Should I write about rural areas in my own country?
Only as brief illustration. The mechanism is what carries the argument, and it travels; a locally specific account risks losing the examiner without adding to the reasoning.
