Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-14

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)

Art and culture represents a country's rich and raw heritage. However, it is believed that higher authorities must change the ancient monuments into modern buildings while, some suggested that it should be revived at any cost. Therefore, I personally believe that local art and culture offers great values of the past time and it should not be converted into something modern in terms of modernization.

Ancient buildings are the backbone of a nation. It represents the culture old heritage and rich artifacts. For instance, Taj Mahal situated in the capital of India, Delhi. It has offered a study on the succession of Mughals lifestyle and the variety of jewels they posses at that time.

Moreover, these buildings are the financial hub of a nation. It attracts ample of tourism to India and various other countries which has tourist attraction buildings, parks, forts such as Buckingham Palace, Eiffel tower and so on.

On the other hand, constructing modern buildings out of these ancient building is to bring change and rebuild them into modern structure in order to provide better functionality. For instance, forts were build with traditional methods of engineering, however, it is a necessity to change into modern one in order to increase its lifespan. Hence, they can be preserved but with modern touch.

Modern rebuild structure often help increase its lifespan along with its reliability. For example, when ancient old building is converted into something worth money, time and quality. It should be constructed to represent change. Hence, it will eventually be modern with better facilities.

To recapitulate, ancient buildings must be preserved from getting rebuild in the sake of modernization. As the minute the design changes, it will loss its touch and essence it has to offer to the world.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat inconsistent. While you provide examples like the Taj Mahal and Buckingham Palace, the explanation of why modernizing buildings is necessary is slightly repetitive and lacks depth. The argument regarding 'modernizing' ancient structures is a bit contradictory, as you suggest they should be preserved but then argue for modern facilities. To reach a higher band, ensure that your supporting points are distinct and fully explored rather than repeating the same concepts in different words.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear introduction and conclusion. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'On the other hand', and 'To recapitulate' to guide the reader. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the final paragraph where the connection between 'getting rebuild' and the previous argument is slightly disjointed. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a singular, well-defined focus would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'heritage', 'monuments', 'succession', and 'functionality'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'offers great values of the past time', 'ample of tourism', and 'rebuild them into modern structure'. These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your writing. To improve, focus on learning common collocations and ensuring that your word forms (e.g., 'rebuild' vs 'rebuilding') are used correctly in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('Art and culture represents', 'forts were build') and article usage ('in the capital of India, Delhi'). While these errors are noticeable, they rarely prevent the reader from understanding your meaning. To achieve a higher band, you should aim for more error-free sentences and pay closer attention to verb tenses and pluralization. Practicing complex sentence construction while maintaining accuracy will help you progress.

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

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