Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-03

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 6.5)

Vintage infrastructures such as museums and city halls hold a significant cultural values and memories, which make them the precious buildings. While some people believe that these buildings should be preserved by governments even with investing a huge public fund towards its maintenance, others argue that modern infrastructures should be constructed in place of these old buildings to overcome congestion problems, especially in downtown areas. This essay will examine both perspectives before explaining why I believe that heritage buildings should be maintained properly with care, but also issues like urban gridlock should not be overlooked by governments.

On the one hand, many people perform their religious activities at these places, hence governments should make sure that these facilities remain holy and sacred. Places such as Temple and Church are the places where many couples get married. These moments are memorable for such individuals, hence it is important for governments to provide basic facilities like clean washrooms and proper seating arrangements. Therefore, governments should be responsible to take these responsibilities seriously and invest in its maintenance even if it's costly.

On the other hand, in many developing countries, several major projects such as transportation terminals expansion and construction of public universities have postponed due to the unavailability of room in crowded area, where majority of ground is covered by these old buildings, which are not used frequently by individuals. Therefore, people have this mindset of replacing them with new modern infrastructures such as shopping malls and train terminals, which would be used effectively regularly by commuters. As a result, governments can save their funds by not servicing those old buildings, and can utilize it by constructing new modern buildings.

In conclusion, although both historic sites and modern buildings offer valuable benefits, I believe that investing more in old structures is a practical approach because they provide access to perform holy duties and hold an immense cultural values in people's heart.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. The argument for preserving old buildings focuses heavily on religious activities, which is a narrow interpretation of 'heritage buildings' (e.g., town halls and art galleries mentioned in the prompt). The counter-argument regarding urban congestion is better developed but could benefit from more specific examples beyond general 'transportation terminals'. The position is consistent, but the supporting arguments lack the depth required for a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two viewpoints. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'Therefore' are used to guide the reader through the argument. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing, such as the use of 'its' when referring to plural nouns like 'buildings' or 'responsibilities'. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, with attempts at topic-specific language like 'infrastructure', 'congestion', and 'heritage'. However, there are several collocation and word-choice errors that limit the score. For example, 'hold a significant cultural values' (should be 'holds significant cultural value'), 'investing a huge public fund' (should be 'investing huge public funds'), and 'perform holy duties' (which is slightly unnatural). While the meaning is always clear, the lack of precision in word choice prevents the response from reaching a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, particularly regarding subject-verb agreement and article usage. For instance, 'several major projects... has postponed' should be 'have been postponed'. Additionally, 'majority of ground is covered' lacks a definite article. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a score higher than 6.0. The writer demonstrates an attempt at complex structures, but control over these structures is inconsistent.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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