Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-06
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 7.0)
While many people argue that the restoration of ancient buildings is necessary inspite of its cost, others opine that replacment of these buildings with new ones is more advantageous, In my opinion, old building should be preserved due to cultural importance and tourism benefits.
On the one side of argument, there are several individuals who support the destruction of older buildings for constructing new ones. The most comelling reason behind this is the optimum utilisation of limited resources. As replacing the abandoned old buildings with modern architecture will result in re-using the same land and material, it leads to environmental benefits by saving the scarce resources. Moreover, instead of spending substantial amount of money on restoring the ancient monuments, it is wastage of tax payers' money because some old buildings are not even used for any productive work. For example, these public funds should be allocated to convert these buildings to educational institutions or healthcare facilities so that the general public can have more benefits from it. Therefore, the government should replace old buildings with conventional buildings for strengething its economy and saving the eco-system.
Despite the above arguments, I am of the view that ancient buildings preserve the civilisations' identity. Indeed, one reason why I take this position is that ancient buildings preserve the nation's culture and history. When a country has various historical monuments, they can keep the modern generation connected with their roots. For example, by visiting The Golden Temple in Amritsar, children of sikh religion gain more knowlegde about sikh history and feel connected to their culture. Furthermore, it is my firm belief that building of earlier times brings more tourists. As a lot of visitors are curious about other cultures, they like to visit different locations where they can see unique architectures. Therefore, when old buildings are restored, a country can increase international tourism which ultimately support's the economic growth.
In conclusion, although both views are commonly held in the society, I believe that it is mandatory to save the historical buildings for cultural presevation and tourism industry. The town halls, art galleries and other old buildings are not merely structures, instead they hold a significant value among the community.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 7.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both views and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed. For instance, the argument regarding the environmental benefits of reusing land and the cultural significance of historical sites are both logically supported. However, the development could be slightly more nuanced; for example, the suggestion to convert old buildings into healthcare facilities is a good point, but it could have been linked more directly to the 'cost' aspect mentioned in the prompt. Overall, the position is consistent throughout the essay, meeting the requirements for a Band 7.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The essay is logically organized with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph has a central topic, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Despite the above arguments', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to link ideas. However, there are minor issues with punctuation and flow, such as the comma splice in the introduction ('...more advantageous, In my opinion...'). While the use of cohesive devices is generally good, the transition between some sentences could be smoother to reach a higher band. The overall structure is coherent and supports the reader's understanding.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with some flexibility. Phrases like 'optimum utilisation', 'scarce resources', and 'cultural preservation' show a good command of topic-specific language. There are some minor errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'replacment' instead of 'replacement', 'comelling' instead of 'compelling', and 'strengething' instead of 'strengthening'. Additionally, 'support's' contains an unnecessary apostrophe. These errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Expanding the range of less common lexical items would further improve the score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is a good attempt at using complex sentences, such as 'While many people argue that... others opine that...'. However, there are several grammatical inaccuracies, including missing articles ('...due to cultural importance...') and subject-verb agreement issues ('...old building should be preserved...'). Punctuation is generally functional, though there are occasional errors like the comma splice noted earlier. The majority of sentences are clear, and the errors do not cause difficulty for the reader, but the frequency of these slips keeps the score at a 6.5 level.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.