Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-16
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)
Old structures such as art galleries and town halls, should get restoration funding from governements despite of the high cost of repair, argued by certain people. While, other says that new, modern structures should replace them. I strongly believe that modern buildings are cost-efficient and easy to manage.
The cost of managment and building new structures, are the best way to invest government money. It would be less expensive compare to fixing old buildings every quarterly, due to frequent maintainances, while the new structures easily survive longer then that without any issues. For example, The cost of maintaining the old fort in my city, Surat, requires good amount of money and it has barely few visitors as compare to new art museum which is requires less funding and provide funds to the government for other issues in the city.
On the other hand, some argues that in order to keep the culture alive, governements should take care of old buildings. Old constructions are important to pass culture to new generations and to keep them alive forever but I think there should be limit to spend funds on those building and we can still forward the culture touch to new buildings with time.
In conclusion, one side has their valid arguments to keep and funds for restoration of old constrcutions, I believe, the other side has much valid and stronger arguments that new buildings are much cost-sufficient and easy to manage.
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 response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the essay falls short of the 250-word minimum requirement, which negatively impacts the development of ideas. While the main points are relevant, the supporting arguments, particularly regarding the cultural value of buildings, are somewhat superficial and could have been expanded with more depth. The position is consistent, but the under-length nature of the response limits the overall quality of the task completion.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs for each view, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'While', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion', though some transitions feel a bit mechanical. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the lack of sufficient length makes the overall flow feel slightly abrupt. Referencing is mostly clear, though some sentence structures are repetitive, which affects the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'cost-sufficient' instead of 'cost-effective' and 'forward the culture touch'. Spelling errors like 'governements' and 'managment' occur, and word choices are often basic or slightly misused. To reach a higher band, you should focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay relies heavily on simple sentence structures. There are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues (e.g., 'The cost... are the best way') and incorrect preposition usage (e.g., 'despite of'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary commas appearing in several places. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors and the limited range of complex structures prevent a higher score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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