The world is experiencing a dramatic increase in population. This is causing problems not only for the poor in undeveloped countries but also for industrialised and developing nations. Describe some of the problems that overpopulation causes, and suggest at least one possible solution.
Sample Response
Today’s world faces an dramatic population growthimmense explosion of population. In most countries, the population has increasedthe population has been increased alarmingly. Increased population is a serious problem not only in poor or developing countries but also in developed countries. Our resources are limited. So overpopulation can cause problems like starvation, unemployment, etc.
In poor countries where the economy is not strong enough to feed all the people, overpopulation causes starvation. More land is required to provide accommodation to the people. Thus the land available for farming is used for housing purposesaccommodation purpose. Generally, in poor countries, technological development is less. Due to less land available for farming, starvation comes often in these types of countriesthis type of countries. The government is not capable enough to providecapable enough that can provide a quality education to all the children. Thus it leads to unemployment.
In developing and rich countries where most of the cities have become crowded, the government faces a great challenge of providing good public services. Health services have become very poor, especially in developing countries due to overpopulation. Water, electricity and other resources are available in limited quantitieslimited available. The crime rate is increasing due to unemployment. Land available in big cities is very expensive. OrdinaryCommon or middle-class people are not capable of buying houses.
There can be two possible solutions for the problem of overpopulation. The government must provide education to the people to limit the size of the family. Women who are pregnantWomen, who are pregnant and do not want to give birth, should be allowed to have an abortion. The government can introduce a strict policyform some revolutionary rule like ‘one child’ policy. People having more than one child should be punished by not providing public services.
As a conclusion, I will say overpopulation is a serious issue and needs urgent attentionmust need great attention to overcome.
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response covers overpopulation across different national contexts and offers several relevant remedies, with generally clear progression from problems to solutions. Its main weakness is that important ideas are often listed rather than fully explained, while the punitive one-child proposal is unrealistic and weakly justified; prioritise developing two major problems and two practical solutions, showing clearly how each remedy would reduce population pressure.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The essay addresses problems in poor, developing, and rich countries and offers solutions. Ideas are relevant, but some are listed briefly and one proposed punishment is extreme and insufficiently justified.
Develop two major problems and two realistic solutions with explanation of how each would reduce population pressure.
Coherence and Cohesion
Paragraphing is clear and the essay progresses from problems to solutions. Cohesion is generally adequate, although some paragraphs rely on short repeated statements rather than developed links.
Use topic sentences that identify the main problem in each paragraph and link each example back to overpopulation.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is appropriate for population, resources, and public services, but there are several unnatural collocations and imprecise phrases.
Use phrases such as “population has increased,” “land for housing,” “limited resources,” and “family planning education.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Grammar is understandable but includes repeated errors in passive forms, relative clauses, articles, and adjective placement.
Practise sentence patterns for cause and result, especially “Overpopulation leads to...” and “Governments should...”
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IELTS Writing Task 2
The world is experiencing a dramatic increase in population. This is causing problems not only for the poor in undeveloped countries but also for industrialised and developing nations. Describe some of the problems that overpopulation causes, and suggest at least one possible solution.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.