Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-14

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)

it is often argued that ancient monuments should be preserved even if that can be expensive. However, certain number of pupil believe that ruling parties should replace them and construct new infrastructure. I affirm that people should respect their historical building and their architecture instead of ending them.

To begin with, this section sheds some light on advantages of monuments. Firstly, these buildings are an integral part of history and culture even if they are ancient.They allow younger generations to understand how people lived and how cities developed in the past. For example, old town halls, museums and art galleries often contain valuable architectural features and historical objects that cannot be recreated easily. Secondly, restoring such buildings can attract tourists, which can generate income for local businesses and create employment opportunities. Therefore, spending money on restoration can be considered a long-term investment rather than a waste of public funds.

On the other hand, replacing old buildings with modern ones also has certain benefits. The main advantage is that new buildings can provide better facilities and use space more efficiently. For instance, an old government building may have limited rooms, poor heating systems or inadequate facilities for people with disabilities. Constructing a modern building could solve these problems and reduce maintenance costs in the future. In addition, in rapidly growing cities, governments may need to use valuable land for hospitals, offices or other essential infrastructure.

In my opinion, governments should generally preserve historically significant buildings, while replacing those that have little cultural or architectural value. A balanced approach would therefore be the most appropriate. Important heritage buildings can be restored and modernised without destroying their original character, whereas unsafe or insignificant structures can be replaced.

In conclusion, although constructing modern buildings can provide better facilities and reduce long-term maintenance costs, I believe that historically valuable buildings should be preserved because of their cultural importance and potential contribution to tourism.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response fully addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—the preservation of old buildings versus their replacement with modern structures—and clearly stating a balanced personal opinion. In the body paragraphs, the student provides well-reasoned arguments for retaining historical monuments, such as educational value and tourism benefits, while also acknowledging the practical advantages of modern buildings, like better facilities and space efficiency. The position is maintained consistently throughout the essay, and the main ideas are extended and supported with relevant explanations and examples, fulfilling all the requirements of the prompt successfully.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, starting with an introduction that outlines the debate and states the writer's stance, followed by well-structured body paragraphs addressing both perspectives and the personal viewpoint, and concluding neatly. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'On the other hand' are used effectively to guide the reader through the arguments. Paragraphing is managed appropriately, and referencing between sentences is generally clear, resulting in a cohesive overall arrangement.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student uses an adequate and appropriate range of vocabulary for the task. There are successful attempts to incorporate less common and topic-specific items, such as 'integral part', 'architectural features', 'long-term investment', and 'inadequate facilities'. While there are a few minor lexical inaccuracies in the opening paragraph—such as using 'pupil' instead of 'people' or 'students', and 'ending them' rather than 'demolishing them'—the overall lexical range is sufficient to convey precise meanings. Communication is not impeded by these occasional awkward word choices, demonstrating a solid Band 6.5 to 7 level capability.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The writer demonstrates a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures appropriately, as seen in sentences like 'They allow younger generations to understand how people lived...' and '...governments should generally preserve historically significant buildings, while replacing those that have little cultural or architectural value.' There are some minor grammatical errors and awkward phrasing in the introductory paragraph, such as 'ancient monuments should be preserved even if that can be expensive' and 'certain number of pupil believe', but the majority of sentences in the body paragraphs are well-controlled and error-free, ensuring that meaning is never obscured.

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

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