Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-04

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)

In recent years, people argue about the importance of old buildings; some of them believe that they should be renovated even if it cost a fortune, while others think that governments have to replace them with modern accommodations. On the one side, restoring old buildings allows people to learn about the culture and discover old civilisations. On the other side, constructing new buildings can reduce the houses crisis and decrease the prices of residences.

on the one hand, by destroying old buildings and constructing new ones, governments reduce the houses crisis due to the grouth population and the high demand for homes, they also will help in decreasing the rental prices and help people to be more convenient in finding accommodations. For instance, by providing new places to live, people will have the choice and the ability to rent or to buy a house. I disagree with idea that destroying old buildings will reduce the house crisis.

On the other hand, by restoring old buildings, the youth generation will have the opportunity to learn and gain knowledge about the culure of the country and discover how people there used to live, wear and eat, this can help in preserving the culture and the identity of the area. to illustrate, organising schools visits to art galleries can help them to have a practical idea of theorical studies, they also can learn about the culture and be more concentrated and motivated. I believe that old building have to be renovated and restored.

To sum up, destroying old buidings and the construction af new accommodations in place can be useful to face the high demande for houses, however, restoring them allows people to preserve the culture and the environment. I believe that renovating old building is more beneficial and more important for the society.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

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 limited. For instance, the argument regarding the 'housing crisis' is mentioned but not fully explored with specific evidence or logical depth. The points about cultural preservation are relevant but could be expanded with more sophisticated examples beyond school visits. To reach a higher band, ensure that each main idea is supported by a more detailed explanation or a more specific, illustrative example to demonstrate a deeper engagement with the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. The use of cohesive devices such as 'On the one side,' 'On the other hand,' and 'To sum up' helps guide the reader through the argument. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and there are instances where the flow between sentences could be smoother. For example, the transition between the housing crisis argument and the personal disagreement in the second paragraph is abrupt. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the use of 'they' in the second paragraph, which could refer to either governments or new buildings.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'renovated,' 'civilisations,' and 'preserving,' which are used appropriately. However, there are several spelling errors (e.g., 'grouth,' 'culure,' 'theorical,' 'buidings,' 'demande') and some awkward collocations like 'houses crisis' instead of 'housing crisis.' While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading and a wider range of precise, topic-specific vocabulary to reach a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the writer attempts complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and punctuation. For example, 'old building have to be renovated' should be 'old buildings have to be renovated,' and there are several comma splices where independent clauses are joined incorrectly. Despite these errors, the meaning is generally clear, and the grammar does not prevent the reader from understanding the writer's points. Focusing on sentence boundary control and subject-verb agreement would significantly improve the accuracy of the writing.

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