Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-18
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)
The buildings are a crucial part of society as they play a great role in providing knowledge to generations
The old buildings are abundance of history, they hold the ancient touch of our ancestors. The coming generations can learn a lot from these historical buildings. They depict how humans progressed through times. Some of the buildings such as Taj Mahal in India, have expensive marbles, and a great example of architectural design. On the other hand some of the buildings give hard time to governement as their maintenance is pretty high. Such as Qutumb Minar in Delhi, India takes plenty of time and charges money from the government's pocket.
On the other side of the coin, new buildings are also great as, they are designed in accordance with the modern era's needs. For example Dino parks in Nepal is accessible to the public in great ways. It follows the rule for disable people's travel needs. But Modern buildings do not have any ancient history that makes human beings more aware of what generations have done and how industrious they were in bringing change to society.
Therefore, in my perspective old building are more important to our society and generations as they acknowledge history of past times.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the essay is significantly under the 250-word minimum, which limits the depth of the arguments. While the ideas are relevant, they are not fully developed; for instance, the mention of the Taj Mahal and Qutub Minar is a good start, but the analysis of why restoration is preferable over replacement remains superficial. To improve, you must expand on your points with more detailed reasoning and examples to meet the length requirement and demonstrate a more thorough exploration of the topic.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. There is a basic attempt at logical progression, moving from the benefits of old buildings to the challenges of maintenance, and then to the advantages of modern structures. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and limited (e.g., 'On the other hand', 'On the other side of the coin'). The transitions between sentences could be smoother to create a more natural flow. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There are some awkward phrasings, such as 'abundance of history' (should be 'a wealth of history') and 'give hard time to government' (should be 'pose a challenge to the government'). You use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'architectural design' and 'maintenance', but there is a reliance on simple, repetitive language. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations and precise academic vocabulary to express your ideas more effectively.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'The buildings are abundance of history' (missing article/preposition), 'charges money from the government's pocket' (unnatural phrasing), and 'rule for disable people's travel needs' (should be 'accessibility requirements for disabled people'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct article usage, and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed accurately without losing meaning.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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