Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-17

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, many pupils believe that many old structure and art galleries should be rebulit and make it into modern bulidings while this can be very expensive, while many opine that governments should replace them with modern buildings. In this essay I will discuss both views and give my personal opinion.

To begin with, it can be very costly to restore any old town halls and art museum into modern strucutre, but it might change entire look of the building. Firslty, restoring old building can help it look more appealing and fancy but the core of the sculpture should be they same, it might hold some history behind it. So, by such small changes we can make it look bit modern but that old town hall or art galleries won't lose it old significance which it was originally built for. For example, just adding some new color to old buildings might change its entire look but it would not change it purpose as it would remain the same. So, it will be the same building but with fresh look.

On the other hand, if goverment replace it with them new buildings it might be helpful for the society. Beacuse changing an entire building will create many employment opportuniety, and it will blend into modern structure.

Moreover, as modern societies are being develop, people have started adapting the change into infrastrucutre so they started disliking the old strucutre and want to replace them with new buildings.

In my opinion I would like to conclude that, I believe that restoring may be costly but we should restore old town halls and art galleries as they also play a vital role and give us knowledge about ancient structure ratner than replacing it with modern buildings.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both sides of the discussion and state a clear preference for restoring historic buildings, explaining that they preserve history and significance. The example of adding colour helps illustrate how a building could be refreshed without losing its original purpose. However, the two views are not developed equally: the case for replacement is mainly that it creates employment and fits modern society, with little explanation of other benefits or how these outweigh the cost. Some points about restoration, such as making a building “more appealing and fancy,” are also asserted rather than supported. To strengthen the response, explain each side with specific consequences or a relevant example, then connect these reasons more directly to your final position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph for restoration, a paragraph for replacement, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “To begin with,” “On the other hand,” and “In my opinion” help readers identify the main stages. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes repetitive or unclear. In the restoration paragraph, the ideas about changing the building’s look and keeping its purpose are repeated in the example and closing sentence. The replacement paragraph is brief, and “Moreover” introduces a related point without clearly showing how it develops the employment argument. Use clearer links between claims and explanations, avoid restating the same point, and give the two viewpoints more balanced paragraph development.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “restore,” “significance,” “employment,” and “infrastructure,” and the reader can generally understand your intended meaning. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “many pupils” for people who hold an opinion, “core of the sculpture” for the essential features of a building, and “adapting the change into infrastructure.” Repetition of “old buildings,” “modern buildings,” and “look” also limits precision. Spelling errors such as “rebulit,” “strucutre,” and “goverment” are noticeable. Build a more accurate set of phrases for discussing heritage, renovation, costs, and urban development, and proofread spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a conditional structure in “if government replace it … it might be helpful” and a contrast introduced with “while.” However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. For example, “many old structure … should be rebulit and make it” has problems with plural agreement and parallel verb structure; “it might hold some history behind it” has unclear pronoun reference; and “as modern societies are being develop” uses an incorrect passive form. Articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries also need attention. Practise building accurate sentences around one main idea, checking subject–verb agreement, verb forms, and pronoun references before adding clauses.

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