Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-16

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 this modern era, people hardly get time to visit somewhere. even in cities like Surat, Ahmedabad the number of art galleries are less then it is used to be. some individuals believe that government should spent money on them to restore it so we can tansfer it to out fture generation. while others argues that places like town halls and galleries should replace by modern buildings. In the upcoming paragraphs I shall explain both view points and give my opinion.

On the one hand, art galleries are the form of cultural instituition. Old towns, liabraries, and galleries represent the history that our ancestors leave. From them our future generation can learn about local traditions and architecture. Moreover, historic buildings attracts the tourists as well which indirectly beneficial for governments as tourist spend money on hetels, restaurants, shops and other local services.Additionally, modern buildings can look similar in some way, while historical buildings often have a unique design.

On the other hand, there are some reason behind why some people want government to replace old buildings with the new one. The biggest one is might be the restoration cost old building carries. That money could instead spend on hospitals, schools, roads, or public transport. In addition, some old structure may have srious structural problems and may have issue with safety; however, modern buildings can follow current safety and regulations.

In conclusion, it is important to restore historically significant buildings. However, not all buildings needs to be preserved. government also consider the maintanance cost, structural safety, and the usefulness to the community.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views on old versus new buildings and providing a personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are relevant, such as the cultural value and tourism benefits of historic structures, alongside the maintenance costs and safety concerns of replacements. However, the development of ideas remains somewhat general and lacks extended elaboration or specific examples from the writer's own knowledge, which prevents the response from reaching higher bands. Despite these limitations, the position is clear throughout, fulfilling the requirements for Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraph-by-paragraph structure, including an introduction, two body paragraphs discussing opposing views, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to signal transitions, such as "On the one hand", "On the other hand", and "In conclusion". However, referencing is occasionally imprecise, and logical progression is at times slightly mechanical due to repetitive sentence openers and minor organisational issues. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but overall cohesion lacks the flexibility required for a higher band, placing the response solidly at Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as "cultural institution", "ancestors", "architectural", and "restoration cost". However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors throughout the text, such as "tansfer" instead of transfer, "fture" instead of future, "argues" instead of argue, "liabraries", "hetels", "srious", and "maintanance". Furthermore, collocation issues appear, such as "galleries should replace by modern buildings" instead of being replaced. These inaccuracies indicate a Band 5.5 level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures such as concessive clauses ("even though this can be costly", "while others argues that..."). However, control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are frequent basic errors, including missing capitalisation at the beginning of sentences ("even in cities..."), subject-verb agreement issues ("others argues", "buildings needs"), missing articles ("cost old building", "government also consider"), and incorrect verb forms ("should spent", "should replace by"). These errors sometimes cause minor strain for the reader, aligning with Band 5.0.

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.