Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-22

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)

A portion of the population argued that, ancient infrastructures such as museums, forts and temples should be renovated as they area the memories of our ancestors. Others believe that these traditional buildings should be demolished and would be replaced with latest structures. From my perspective, the ancient structures should never be replaced as they hold a sentimental value for any country and civilians. However, these could be maintained by using durable materials.

In this contemporary era, with the innovation in every sector of life, the living standards are shifted to greater extent. The old buildings which were built in the traditional periods are near to extinction due to negligence. However, they are playing a crucial role in emerging tourism as people from all over the world still prefer to visit these structures. The government and international organisations should contribute to maintain these valuable places as they holds a significant cultural and spiritual importance. By restoring these would definitely bring positive outcomes for the country and its citizens. For instance, To re-build old buildings require labour and it will draw short term employment opportunities for unemployed individuals.

In contrast to it, there are some people who suggest that these old fashioned buildings should be demolished. As this will create enough space to build new residential, amusement or other modern structures. Even though, by replacing these, would definitely provide new places for people but, it would never cover the emotional and cultural gap. So instead of destroying these ancient structures everyone should play its part to save these values and beliefs for future generations. For example, Buildings like taj mahal still reminds us about the purity of love and respect and the past and our future generation will learn from the struggles of these people.

To conclude, though latest buildings will provide enough space for new recreational points. However, the importance which these buildings hold can never be replaced with new ones. So, the government and international organisations should contribute towards their preservation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views on restoring versus replacing old buildings and clearly presents a personal opinion that heritage structures should be preserved. Main ideas are extended and supported, such as mentioning the cultural value and economic benefits of tourism and employment opportunities. However, there are minor instances of slight over-generalisation and some arguments could be explored with even greater depth. For instance, the reference to labour costs as a short-term employment benefit is relevant, but the development remains somewhat brief. Overall, the prompt is successfully completed with a clear, sustained position throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear overall progression and is divided into appropriate paragraphs with a distinct introduction, body paragraphs addressing each view, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'In this contemporary era', 'However', 'In contrast to it', and 'To conclude' are used to structure the text, though some transitions feel slightly mechanical or formulaic. Paragraphing is managed sufficiently, and referencing is mostly clear, though occasional minor slip-ups in logical flow prevent a higher score. The central topic of each paragraph is generally easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'extinction', 'sentimental value', 'contemporary era', and 'preservation'. However, there are noticeable word-form errors and collocation slips, such as 'ancient infrastructures' instead of 'infrastructure', 'area the memories' instead of 'are the memories', and 'To re-build old buildings require' (subject-verb agreement). Despite these lexical and grammatical slips, communication is not impeded, and the range is sufficient to convey precise meanings on the topic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and conditional structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors in punctuation, subject-verb agreement, and clause structure. Examples include fragments and run-on constructions like 'For instance, To re-build old buildings require labour and it will draw...' and 'Even though, by replacing these, would definitely provide new places...' These errors sometimes cause minor hesitation for the reader, although many sentences remain clear. Good control is shown in simpler structures, but complex forms frequently contain minor slips.

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.