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)

There is no doubt that the old building is very risky to live there, but some people love to lives there. They lived there from their childhood. During this period many people argue that government should replace those buildings with new and Modern buildings.I will look at both sides of the argument and give my opinion.

First of all some people loves their old buildings,Because they lived their from their childhood. They are very fond of this place.In other hand,They don’t need any changes their buildings and communities. They have many different kinds of memories from those old places.Those old buildings are very poor foundations and it’s very risky to live there. In this environment make them sick,Because old buildings are not living place right now.Those buildings are not surviving from any climate or environmental changes.They need to understand that thing.

Turning to the other side to the argument,Some people want to changes those old buildings,Town hall and art galleries. In this generation people don’t like old stuff.They always want to their living area modern and convenient.They can live a happy and modern life.They wants to build some modern buildings where they can live their life happily.If these projects costs more money but government should need to take initiative and replace all old buildings to new modern buildings.It’s very important for society people.Everybody can live safe and peacefully.

All things considered,I think in this generation we need to replace old building because it’s risky to live there.We need to convert new modern building for our wellness.

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 limited. The arguments regarding why people value old buildings are repetitive and lack depth, focusing mainly on childhood memories. The counter-argument regarding modernization is also somewhat simplistic. While the prompt asks for a discussion of town halls and art galleries, the essay focuses more generally on 'old buildings' and 'living areas,' which is acceptable but lacks specific examples or nuanced reasoning. The position is clear, but the supporting points are underdeveloped, which prevents the essay from reaching a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which is a positive feature. However, the progression of ideas is often disjointed. The use of cohesive devices is mechanical and sometimes inaccurate, such as 'In other hand' or 'Turning to the other side to the argument.' There is a lack of variety in linking words, and the transition between sentences is often abrupt. Referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the logical flow of the argument. Paragraphing is present but the internal structure of the paragraphs lacks a clear topic sentence and supporting detail flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'old stuff,' 'happy and modern life,' and 'very risky' are used frequently. There is little attempt to use less common or academic vocabulary appropriate for an IELTS task. Collocations are often unnatural, such as 'not surviving from any climate' or 'not living place.' While the meaning is generally conveyed, the lack of precision and the limited range of vocabulary restrict the score. To improve, you should focus on learning topic-specific collocations related to urban planning and heritage conservation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay relies heavily on simple sentence structures. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('some people loves,' 'they wants to build'), incorrect article usage, and punctuation errors. Complex structures are attempted but are often faulty, such as 'If these projects costs more money but government should need to take initiative.' These errors are frequent and occasionally cause the reader to pause, though they do not completely impede communication. A wider range of error-free complex sentences is needed for a higher band.

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

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