Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-28

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, a lot of people are debating over whether to refurbish old buildings such as art galleries and town halls, or replac them with new modern buildings. New buildings could accommodate house shortage but at the expense of increasing pollution. Old monuments were built years ago, and holds significant values in people's life. I would briefly discuss my viewpoints on both views but I personally believe we should restore old buildings.

To begin with, the main reason many people are against is pollution. While building a new monument,it significantly releases polluting gases such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Construction industry accounts for around 20% of total GHG emission to atmosphere. Many countries are introducing new stricter rules to decrease pollution by promoting refurbishment activities and technologies. For example, recent study published by University of Toronto on Canada’s tallest building “The Tower One”, the construction activity released 15% more GHG gases than expected. Based on these factors, I disagree with the fact that we should build new buildings.

On the other hand, old buildings such as town halls, libraries, science center and art galleries holds significant values. They are the main tourist attraction around the city. Also, young children and students love visiting these places, and learn about the history of specific town. Furthermore, refurbishment activity does not account for significantly for pollution. It could be done in quick time, and does not require entire building to close. For example, London’s museum was restored in less than 12 months, and is now equipped with modern facilities. The revenue was increased by 30% compare to previous year 2024.

To conclude, I personally agree with the fact that we should restore old buildings. As, pollution would be increased by constructing new buildings. Our society and government should focus more on refrurbishment of old buildings because it’s historic property and major tourist attraction.

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 position is consistent throughout the essay. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the environmental argument against new construction is well-supported with specific examples, the discussion on the benefits of old buildings is slightly more generic. The essay would benefit from more depth in explaining why preserving historical architecture is culturally or socially significant beyond just tourism. Overall, the response is relevant and meets the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'On the other hand', and 'Furthermore' are used to guide the reader through the arguments. However, there are instances where the flow is slightly mechanical, and some referencing is a bit repetitive. For example, the transition between the environmental argument and the cultural argument could be smoother. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the progression of ideas is generally easy to follow, though the concluding paragraph is somewhat brief.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, with attempts to use topic-specific terminology such as 'refurbishment', 'GHG emission', and 'monuments'. There are some spelling errors, such as 'replac' and 'refrurbishment', and occasional word choice issues, such as 'holds significant values' (should be 'hold significant value'). While the student demonstrates a sufficient range to convey meaning, the lack of more sophisticated collocations and the presence of minor errors prevent a higher score. The vocabulary is functional but lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('old monuments... holds', 'refurbishment activity does not account for significantly for pollution') and punctuation errors. Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'New buildings could accommodate house shortage'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to be noticeable. A greater variety of error-free complex structures would be needed to reach a higher band. Punctuation around commas and spacing after periods also needs attention.

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