Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-19

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 6.0)

It has been a popular debate that whether the government should restore the old town halls & art galleries or replace them with the new and modern buildings. Both perspectives have their own advantages and disadvantages but I believe that old buildings should be renovated and restored. Let's discuss it further in the following paragraphs.

To begin with, a remarkable number of people believes that old buildings like town halls and art galleries should be restored at any cost because they hold history and cultural values. To elaborate, old buildings should be restrored at any cost because they hold very precious cultural values and history which needs to be preserved and shared with new and upcoming generations which will remind them to their culture and historical values. For example, Egyptians preserved and keep proper maintenance of Pyramids which a huge history and culural values.

On the other hand, many people comments that old buildings should be replaced with new and modern buildings because old buildings are very difficult and costly to maintain. To explain, a lot of people suggest that replacing old buildings with the new and modern buildings is cost effective and it will boost the economy if the old and abandoned buildings are replaced by new and modern buildings. To cite an example, a city namely Gurugram in India eplaced its old buildings with the new and modern buildings and it attracted large businesses to set up their businesses over there which converted it into a metro city.

Personally, I believe that old buildings which are safe and cheap to renovate should be restored because they hold a very valuable history and it will increase tourism in the country but the dangerous buildings should be replaced with the new ones.

To conclude, as we discussed both the advantages and disadvanteges of restoring old buildings, I personally believe that the old buildings should be restored at a reasonable cost to hold the history, cultural values and to boost the tourism.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both sides of the discussion and state a clear opinion: you favour restoring buildings that are safe and affordable to renovate, while replacing dangerous ones. The cultural-preservation argument is supported with the Pyramids, and the modernisation argument with Gurugram, so the response is relevant and includes examples. However, some points are asserted rather than fully explained. For instance, the claim that new buildings “will boost the economy” could be developed by explaining how construction or business investment creates wider benefits. The examples also need a clearer link to the specific issue of town halls and art galleries. Your position is clear, but fuller explanation and more precise support would make the discussion more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, your own position, and a conclusion. Signposting such as “To begin with,” “On the other hand,” and “To conclude” helps readers follow the progression, and the final paragraph reinforces your opinion. Some cohesion is nevertheless mechanical or repetitive: “To elaborate,” “To explain,” and “To cite an example” repeatedly announce the next move, while the idea that old buildings preserve history and culture is restated several times. The relationship between your personal qualification—that unsafe buildings should be replaced—and the conclusion’s broader support for restoration could also be made more explicit. Use more varied links and develop each paragraph through a clearer sequence of claim, explanation, and evidence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “preserved,” “cultural values,” “maintenance,” “cost effective,” and “tourism,” and the meaning is generally understandable. However, the range is limited by repeated phrases such as “old buildings,” “new and modern buildings,” and “history and cultural values.” Several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “popular debate that whether,” “hold history,” and “remind them to their culture.” There are also spelling errors such as “restrored,” “culural,” “eplaced,” and “disadvanteges.” These issues make expression less natural and precise. Aim to use a wider set of accurate topic phrases, such as “heritage buildings,” “preserve architectural heritage,” and “incur substantial maintenance costs,” and proofread spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a relative clause in “buildings which are safe and cheap to renovate” and a conditional contrast in your final opinion. The main ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur and complex sentences are not always controlled. For example, “a remarkable number of people believes” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “which a huge history” is missing a verb. In “which needs to be preserved,” the reference to the plural “values and history” is unclear, and the long sentence beginning “old buildings should be restrored…” would benefit from clearer clause boundaries. There are also issues with articles and sentence construction, as in “a city namely Gurugram.” Check agreement, ensure every clause has a complete structure, and divide long sentences where needed.

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