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)

It is undeniable that in this modern era, everything including buildings 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. I have a diplomatic view on the same as both are equally important, and this essay will discuss both sides of the argument along with my opinion in the subsequent paragraphs.

On the one hand, proponents of restoring old monuments believe that it leads to the allure of tourism. To elaborate, the public can have the urge to experience the old-fashioned materialistic things such as clothes, instruments, jewellery and tools alongside taking photographs as a memory over there. For instance, Virasat-e-khalsa in Punjab is an old-style building which attracts almost 50,000 tourists every month Therefore, a great profit can be made; individuals can learn about their history and get tied to their roots by having a great visit in these places.

On the other hand, supporters of replacing ancient buildings with modern ones think that it is crucial to stay up-to-date with this contemporary world's needs. To describe, the new buildings are built in the way that is the requirement of today, such as heat-resistant 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 the earlier ones are depleting as the population is increasing enormously.

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

In my opinion, both have their own advantages, therefore, the government should keep the older ones along with building others. I believe this can be achieved by firstly fulfilling the requirement of the current population's need for housing, only then the focus should be on restoring historical monuments to promote history and culture among youngsters.

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 tourism benefits for restoration and space efficiency for modern construction. However, the development is somewhat uneven. The argument for modern buildings is supported by the example of high-rise buildings in Canada, but the explanation of 'heat-resistant' features is a bit vague. The conclusion effectively synthesizes the two views, suggesting a balanced approach. To reach a higher band, ensure that the supporting examples are more deeply analyzed to fully justify the claims made.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, 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 'For instance' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the connection between sentences within paragraphs could be smoother. For example, the transition between the example of the Punjab monument and the conclusion of that paragraph is abrupt. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task. You use some good topic-specific terms like 'monuments', 'contemporary', and 'allure of tourism'. However, there are some instances of imprecise word choice, such as 'materialistic things' to describe historical artifacts, which is not the most natural collocation. Additionally, phrases like 'get tied to their roots' are understandable but slightly informal. To improve, focus on using more precise academic collocations and synonyms to avoid repetition and enhance the sophistication of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips. For instance, 'The old monuments must be recovered as per some people' is awkward; 'restored' is a better choice than 'recovered', and the phrasing is non-standard. There are also minor punctuation errors, such as missing commas after introductory phrases or before conjunctions. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Increasing the variety of complex structures while ensuring accuracy will help improve this score.

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

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