Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-07

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)

It is often argued that ancient buildings like, town halls and museums should get restroed, even though can be expensive to do. Some believe that government authorities should invest into modern buldings by replacing older ones. While both perspectives have merit, I believe that older buidings have more value becuase of historic events.

On the one hand, supporters of historical buildings point out that history is important to remember and the ancient archetecture contains all information and evidences related to earlier times. This is largely because every place has its own culture and triditional things which belons to their ancestors. For instance, the museum in Ottawa has old coins and knives of 18th century. As a result, people can see the art and stay connected with the history.

On the other hand, those who support modern buildings development point out that can be very safe and reliable for decades, due to modern designs and infarstructure thes can be used for various purposes at single place.This argument is particularly convincing because safety is a big concern, as older buildings require high maintenance. Also, they can be at high risk of fall or disocate due to older building techniques and material. For example, the history gate of city of Kingston had fallen down due to a small earthquake and many people reported injured.

In conclusion, although art galleries and historical places should maintaned properly due to their importance in history and can be seen as real evidence of past events, I believe that modern buildings have more postive points as they require less efforts and can build with advanced technology.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both viewpoints and state a position, first favouring preservation because of historical value and later concluding that modern buildings have more advantages. This change makes your own view unclear: the introduction says older buildings have “more value,” whereas the conclusion supports replacement. The historical case is illustrated with the Ottawa museum, but the example mainly describes its collection rather than explaining why restoration is preferable to replacement. The safety argument is relevant, though the Kingston example and the claim that modern buildings need less effort are not fully explained. To strengthen the response, make your position consistent and develop each main reason with a clearer explanation of how it supports restoration or replacement. The task is addressed, but some ideas remain limited or under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. Signposting such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” helps readers follow the discussion, and the ideas generally progress in a logical order. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent arrangement and shows some flexibility in organising both sides. However, the contrast between your opening position and final opinion disrupts the overall progression. Some links are also mechanical, and the sentence beginning “This is largely because” does not clearly connect the general point about history to the claim about buildings preserving evidence. Use more precise referencing and transitions, and ensure each paragraph’s supporting example clearly develops its main point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “historical buildings,” “ancient architecture,” “modern designs,” and “maintenance,” so the reader can understand the subject and the main arguments. However, the range is limited and several noticeable spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision: “restroed,” “buldings,” “archetecture,” “triditional,” and “infarstructure.” Some combinations are also unnatural, such as “invest into modern buildings,” “high risk of fall,” and “less efforts.” These errors do not prevent the overall message from being understood, but they make parts of the response less clear and polished. Build accuracy with common collocations for heritage and construction, and check spelling carefully. Prefer precise expressions such as “restore historic buildings,” “invest in modern facilities,” and “risk of collapse.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “even though,” “because,” and “although.” This gives the response some structural variety, and the main ideas are usually understandable. However, errors occur across sentence patterns and sometimes make the reader pause. For example, “even though can be expensive” is missing a subject, while “those who support modern buildings development point out that can be very safe” has an incomplete clause. There are also problems with articles and sentence boundaries, as in “at single place.This argument,” and with verb forms in “should maintaned” and “can build.” Work on complete clause structure, articles, and consistent verb patterns; then proofread punctuation and spacing. More accurate control of these forms would make your complex sentences clearer.

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