Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-07-24

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 7.5)

The expansion of infrastructure by replacing the historical buildings with new and modern buildings has become an intensified debate in recent times. While constructing new buildings can be cost-effective and functionally efficient, I strongly believe that restoring the town halls, art galleries, museums and historic architecture is crucial to preserve the culture and heritage of the nation for the benefit of future generations.

On one hand, restoring historic structures allows future generations to understand the country’s roots and development over time. Although maintaining aged buildings is expensive, the significance of the country’s history will not only be limited to traditional history textbooks to study, but also can become a place to have live experience. Furthermore, these preservations can encourage tourists to travel from different nations. For example, the world-renowned monuments like Taj Mahal, which is one of the greatest monuments in the seven wonders, built by the king Qutub Shah, draw millions of people annually across the world. The authorities are investing huge amounts of funds to preserve its original features. Therefore, maintaining historic buildings brings both cultural and economic vitality to local municipalities.

On the other hand, constructing modern infrastructure offers practical benefits to local citizens of the country. Contemporary complexes, residential apartments, and shopping centres provide essential housing for the growing communities in the metropolitan cities and create spaces for families to gather and enjoy. Moreover, new facilities can be built with energy-efficient materials and modern amenities such as high speed internet and accessible transit links that outdated structures cannot support.

To conclude, although building modern infrastructure has its own advantages and accommodates urban growth, restoring old art galleries, museums and town halls are crucial to preserve the country’s heritage for future generations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both views and providing a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. The ideas are relevant and well-supported with examples, such as the Taj Mahal. The position is consistent throughout the essay. To reach a higher band, the development of the 'modern buildings' argument could be slightly more nuanced, perhaps by contrasting the specific cultural loss against the economic gain more directly. However, the task is fully addressed with well-developed ideas, meeting the criteria for a strong performance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central topic, and the transition between the two viewpoints is smooth, using appropriate cohesive devices like 'On one hand' and 'On the other hand'. Referencing is generally clear, and the paragraphing is appropriate. While the flow is logical, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes standard; incorporating a wider variety of linking phrases or more sophisticated transitions would elevate the score. Overall, the structure is coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

The vocabulary is sufficient and generally precise, allowing for a clear expression of ideas. Phrases like 'economic vitality', 'functionally efficient', and 'urban growth' demonstrate a good range. There are occasional minor inaccuracies in collocation, such as 'intensified debate' (which is slightly awkward) and the factual error regarding the Taj Mahal's builder, though this does not impede communication. The range is adequate to convey complex ideas, and the student makes a successful attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary related to architecture and urban planning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The essay displays a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is generally good control over grammar, with many error-free sentences. Some minor errors exist, such as 'restoring... are crucial' (subject-verb agreement) and 'the world-renowned monuments like Taj Mahal' (missing article). However, these errors are infrequent and do not cause difficulty for the reader. The punctuation is generally accurate, and the sentence variety is sufficient to maintain interest and clarity throughout the response.

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