Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-02

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)

Some individual argue that ancient buildings, such as town halls and art galleries should be preserved and renovated despite costing a huge sum, while other says authorities should replace them with new modern style building. In my opinion, it should be renovated as these building carries significant history and culture of the towns.

On one hand, these ancient buildings represent a city’s history and cultural identity. Once an important building demolished, Its original heritage can never be restored and restoring can preserve city’s architectural character. Moreover, renovating them will attract more tourist and generate economic benefit for the local communities. For instance, More tourist visiting these sites will create more jobs, income for nearby restaurants, shops, and hotel.

However, replacing old buildings with modern ones can provide better amenities and safety standards. This is allow buildings to be more accessible for people with disabilities, equip with more energy efficient systems, and more parking space.

For instance, Oven Sound city has complete replaced their old town hall with modern designs and architect hall with new safety protocols and many other improvement. As a result, they were able to save a huge some of money that they used to spend on frequent repair of old town hall. Governments could use that money saved to invest in other essential services such as education, health care and, public transport.

In conclus

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the essay is incomplete, ending abruptly at 'In conclus', which significantly impacts the development of the conclusion. Furthermore, the response is under the 250-word minimum requirement, which limits the depth of the arguments provided. While the ideas regarding cultural heritage and modern safety standards are relevant, they are not fully extended due to the lack of a proper conclusion and the overall brevity of the text. To improve, ensure all parts of the task are fully developed and that the essay reaches the required word count.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay uses basic paragraphing to separate the two viewpoints. There is some attempt at logical progression, using transition words like 'On one hand', 'Moreover', and 'However'. However, the cohesion is often mechanical, and the abrupt ending prevents a cohesive summary or final thought. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'This is allow buildings to be more accessible', where the grammatical structure disrupts the flow. Improving the use of cohesive devices and ensuring a complete structure would significantly enhance the coherence of the response.

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 several instances of word-choice errors or awkward phrasing, such as 'other says' instead of 'others say' and 'huge some of money' instead of 'huge sum of money'. The range is somewhat limited, relying on repetitive structures. To achieve a higher score, you should aim to use more precise collocations and a wider variety of topic-specific vocabulary related to architecture and urban planning.

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 subject-verb agreement issues ('Some individual argue', 'these building carries') and incorrect verb forms ('This is allow', 'has complete replaced'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and subject-verb agreement would be beneficial.

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

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