Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-11-09

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people believe that old buildings, such as town halls and art galleries, should be restored, even though this can be costly. Others argue that governments should replace them with new, modern buildings.

Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

There is an ongoing debate about restoring old buildings like halls and art galleries even though this can be more expensive and others said it should be replaced with new modern building, though in my opinion i would say it best to restore the buildings because most of the buildings contain ancient materials that can be destroyed when trying to rebuild, buildings like the art galleries a lot of the arts might not be retrieve if rebuild and also the old building they say always have a story behind it like a town hall for instance, people gather to dance,dialogue, setting issues and so on ,when demolise it can take away all those exciting moment from people , some can be inspired by mere looking at the building. also for the art gallery all the historical event and arts works can be an inspiration to some individuals. Like in the days my parents usually take i and my siblings to a very old art gallery and we usually see olden days arts and also get to hear stories behind them, but buildings that are way too old needs to be rebuild with modern buildings so as to improve the usage and make the place safe for people to visiting like the art gallery , if rebuild to a modern form can attract viewers to come from far and near and also the town halls can be a safe and conducive place for people to gather and conduct meetings without the roof falling on their heads.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both sides of the discussion and make your preference clear: you support restoration because historic materials, artworks and community memories may be lost, while acknowledging that very old buildings may need replacement for safety and improved use. The examples of the town hall and your family’s visits to an art gallery make the ideas relevant. However, the two positions are not developed equally: the case for modern buildings is mainly stated through safety and attracting visitors, without explaining when replacement is preferable to restoration or how modernisation could preserve heritage. The personal example is useful but could be linked more explicitly to your main argument. Develop each view with a clearer reason and a specific supporting example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has an identifiable overall direction: it introduces the debate, presents reasons for preserving old buildings, and then recognises circumstances in which rebuilding may be appropriate. However, the ideas are crowded into one long paragraph, so the shift from the case for restoration to the case for replacement is difficult to follow. Linking words such as “also,” “but” and “like” are used repeatedly, and some references, including “they say,” are unclear. Separate the introduction, each side of the discussion, and your conclusion into paragraphs. Use more precise transitions such as “By contrast” and “Nevertheless,” and make the relationship between each example and the point it supports explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “ancient materials,” “historical event,” “inspiration,” “modern form” and “conducive place.” These choices show an adequate range and help communicate your main ideas. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or informal, however, such as “arts might not be retrieve,” “exciting moment,” and “roof falling on their heads.” There are also spelling or word-form problems, including “demolise” and “arts works,” which reduce precision. Aim for more natural expressions and check the form of words: for example, describe artworks as being “lost or damaged,” and refer to “memories of community events.” This would make your argument clearer and more appropriately formal.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, using clauses to explain reasons and examples. The reader can generally understand your position, but some sentences are overloaded and contain errors in sentence boundaries, agreement, articles and verb forms. For instance, “others said it should be replaced” shifts tense, while “it best to restore” is missing a verb form; “the old building they say always have a story” also has agreement and sentence-structure problems. Capitalisation and punctuation are inconsistent, especially in the long sentence beginning “because most of the buildings.” Use shorter, complete sentences and check that each has a clear subject and verb. Practising accurate complex sentences with “because,” “although” and “while” will help you express the comparisons more clearly.

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