Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

A number of people are of the opinion that old buildings, such as town halls and art galleries should be renovated despite the high cost while others want a total replacement with new, modern buildings by the government. This essay will discuss both perspectives. I strongly believe that restoring old structure will be good because of the cultural history of some buildings and a replacement of buildings that needs to be replaced due to weak structures after been evaluated by experts.

On the one hand, many people are in support of the idea that old buildings should be replaced because of their cultural histories. Many buildings attract tourists from all over the world. Most building tell stories of the heritage of a particular community and also a way that recent generations can have a full understanding about their community and where their origin. For example, the Oba Palace of Benin City located in Nigeria, it is reported that people still visit the palace and learn about their culture. As a result, contributing to the economic growth of the community, this includes increase hotel books, increase in sales of shops and transportation.

On the other hand, there are people who want government to replace old buildings because of the limited spaces they have due to their architectural design. There are many buildings that have been built many centuries ago and cannot survive another year due to weak structures and will not be able to contain more people at a time. As more people are getting to know about such location, more people want to visit. For instance, an old art gallery may only contain a few persons due to its design in the past, this may prevent many people from entering resulting to longer queues outside the building. Therefore, leading to discouragement of other people who would love to visit and may affect the economy negatively.

In conclusion, some people want old buildings to be restored despite even if it is more expensive because of the cultural history the place holds, while others are of the opinion that government should rebuild new structures that can accommodate more people. I strongly maintain that old structures should be inspected by experts and leave those that are good to be restored and build new ones when necessary.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both views and providing a clear personal opinion. The position is consistent throughout the essay. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the first body paragraph provides a relevant example (Oba Palace), the second body paragraph is slightly repetitive in its reasoning regarding space limitations. The conclusion successfully synthesizes the arguments and reaffirms the student's stance. To reach a higher band, ensure that the arguments are more distinct and fully explored, avoiding minor logical gaps such as the slightly contradictory phrasing in the first paragraph regarding the replacement of buildings.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two opposing views. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'Therefore' are used to guide the reader. However, there are instances where the flow is slightly mechanical, and some referencing is a bit clunky, such as 'this includes increase hotel books' which lacks a clear connection to the preceding sentence. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear, and the structure supports the argument effectively.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to express ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'renovated', 'architectural design', and 'cultural heritage'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'increase hotel books' (should be 'increased hotel bookings') and 'where their origin' (should be 'what their origins are'). The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but more precise and sophisticated vocabulary would be needed to reach a higher band level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb forms and prepositions, such as 'after been evaluated' (should be 'after being evaluated') and 'built many centuries ago' (should be 'built centuries ago'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some run-on sentences and minor errors in subject-verb agreement. The errors do not significantly impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score in this category.

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

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