Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-12
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)
It is undeniable that in modern era, everything includes building has changed a lot. The old monuments must be recovered as per some people , whereas others argue that authorities should focus more on constructing modern buildings. In my opinion, both are equally important and this essay will discuss both sides of the argument in the following paragraphs.
On the one hand, proponents of restoring old monuments believe that it leads to the allure of tourism. The public can have courage to see the old fashioned materialistic things such as clothes, instruments, jewellery and tools alongside taking photographs as a memory. For instance, Virasat-E -Khalsa in Punjab attracts many people every month. Therefore, a great profit can be made; individuals can learn about their history and get tied to their roots by visiting in these historic buildings.
On the other hand, supporters of replacing ancient buildings with modern ones believe that it is crucial to stay up-to-date with this contemporary era's needs. To describe, the new buildings are built in the way that is the requirement of today such as heat system and air conditioning which becomes needs of today's generation.
In conclusion, I would like to restate that the ancient monuments are beneficial, the modern ones are also important. In my opinion, accommodating people in modern houses with a well-built style is necessary to avoid chaotic environments due to limited housing, while educating them with historical knowledge by having a visit to old museum is also vital.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The essay addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the response is slightly under the 250-word minimum, which limits the depth of development. While the arguments for restoration and replacement are introduced, they are somewhat brief. For instance, the point about modern buildings is limited to basic amenities like heating and air conditioning, lacking a more sophisticated discussion on urban planning or economic efficiency. To improve, you should expand on your supporting points with more detailed explanations and ensure you meet the minimum word count to allow for a more comprehensive exploration of the topic.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' are used to signal the structure. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'visiting in these historic buildings', which is grammatically awkward. The progression of ideas is generally logical, but the transition between the benefits of tourism and the need for modern housing could be smoother to improve the overall coherence of the argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. You rely on some repetitive or imprecise phrasing, such as 'materialistic things' to describe historical artifacts and 'well-built style' to describe modern architecture. There are also some collocation errors, such as 'recovered' instead of 'restored' or 'preserved' when referring to buildings. To reach a higher band, focus on using more academic collocations and precise terminology related to architecture and urban development. Expanding your range of synonyms will help you avoid repeating basic words like 'buildings' and 'modern'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'everything includes building has changed' (should be 'everything, including buildings, has changed') and 'visiting in these historic buildings' (should be 'visiting these historic buildings'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing around hyphens and commas. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to affect the overall fluency. Increasing your control over complex sentence structures and proofreading for minor grammatical slips will help improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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