Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-13

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)

In this contemporary world, buildings are playing very crucial role to make cities look beautiful. There is an ongoing debate between two groups of people whether to spend a huge amount of money to renovate heritage structures such as architectural museums and town halls or advanced buildings should take place of old structures. Both the views are discussed further before giving my viewpoint.

On the one hand, supporters of the former view claim that even though it is costly, historic buildings should be renovated. Because they believe that it leads to the allure of tourism. To elaborate, the public can have the urge to experience old-fashioned materialistic things such as clothes, instruments and tools alongside taking photographs as a memory over there. For instance, a case in point is The Royal Museum in India, which attracts almost 50,000 tourists every month. Therefore, a great profit can be made; individuals can learn their history and get tied to their roots by having a great visit in these places.

On the other hand, the opponents argue with the claim that it is crucial to stay up-to-date with this contemporary world's need. To describe, the new buildings are built in the way that is the requirement of today, such as heat-resistance ones and air-conditioning is also available, and even in limited land availability, concerning the need of the growing population. For example, in Canada, 20-30 floor buildings are becoming popular and earlier ones are depleting as the population is increasing enormously.

Thus, the problem of house shortage will not occur and people can be satisfied.

To recapitulate and offer my position, although the ancient monuments are beneficial, the modern ones are equally significant. I think that accommodating people in modern houses with a well-built style is necessary to avoid chaotic environments due to limited housing, along with educating them with historic knowledge by having a visit to old museums.

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 ideas are relevant, such as the economic benefits of tourism for historic buildings and the practical necessity of modern housing. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding modern buildings focuses heavily on heat resistance and land scarcity, which could be expanded with more nuanced reasoning. The position is consistent throughout, but the conclusion could be more integrated with the body paragraphs to provide a more cohesive final stance. Overall, the response meets the requirements of the task well.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, 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 'To recapitulate' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are occasional issues with referencing and flow, such as the phrasing 'argue with the claim that it is crucial'. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would elevate the coherence of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'contemporary', 'allure', and 'depleting'. However, there are instances of awkward word choice or collocation, such as 'old-fashioned materialistic things' and 'get tied to their roots'. These do not impede communication but suggest a need for more precise word selection. Expanding the range of academic collocations would help in achieving a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'buildings are playing very crucial role' (missing article), 'advanced buildings should take place of' (missing 'the'), and 'heat-resistance ones' (incorrect adjective form). Punctuation is generally functional, but some sentence constructions are slightly clunky. To improve, the student should focus on article usage, subject-verb agreement, and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed with greater precision to reduce the frequency of minor errors.

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

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