Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-24

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)

Although 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. I am a strong believer that old buildings and art galleries are characters of town and it has historical value which reminds me of our heritage.

I understand restoring them can be expensive but the historical value it has is many fold which can be collected back from public if cost is a concern we could start charging minimal fees from people for visiting these historical places. Anything which gets old doesn't need to be removed by new one maintaining it as is cheaper than building new buildings. They are not just places they have a purpose like art galleries have monuments and portraits which are of educational value . Can thousands of books give as much information as a visual art gallery would? These would be a places where families can spend time and learn about our culture with no effort.

On the otherhand government should continue building new building where need be, no new development should be stopped. New buildings should be built at some other place. As modern buildings would be needed for country to progress like creating new labs, research center.

Overall, both old and new buildings need to be build and there needs to be a balance we shouldn't be building new buildings at the cost of old heritage and government should continue to spend on restoring old building.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear preference for preserving historic buildings and also acknowledge the case for new construction, so both views are addressed. Relevant support includes the heritage value of old buildings, charging visitors to help cover restoration costs, and the need for new laboratories and research centres. However, several points remain brief or unclear: the claim that maintenance is cheaper than replacement is not supported, and the discussion of galleries’ educational value could be explained more fully. The response is 225 words, below the required 250; the 33 words copied from the prompt are not counted. Develop each argument with a specific example and explain more directly how your proposed balance would work.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an opening position, a paragraph supporting restoration, a paragraph supporting new construction, and a concluding summary. This helps the reader follow the main contrast. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes uneven, and several ideas are joined without clear links. For example, the move from charging visitors to the claim that maintenance is cheaper, then to galleries’ educational value, feels abrupt. The phrase “On the otherhand” signals a contrast, but the final paragraph repeats the balance idea rather than adding a clear synthesis. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each supporting point to the paragraph’s main claim; also check referencing so “they” and “these” have unmistakable antecedents.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “historical value,” “heritage,” “restoring,” “modern buildings,” and “research center.” These choices make your main ideas understandable, and there is some attempt to use more specific language than basic terms. However, the range is limited and several expressions are inaccurate or awkward, such as “characters of town,” “many fold,” and “collected back from public.” Repetition of “buildings” and “new” also reduces variety. Aim for precise collocations and accurate word forms, such as describing buildings as “part of a town’s identity” and saying costs could be “recovered through visitor fees.” Proofread spelling and spacing, including “other hand” and “centres.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a conditional proposal about charging visitors and a contrast between old and new buildings. However, control is inconsistent, and errors in sentence construction, agreement, articles, and verb forms sometimes make the meaning harder to follow. The opening repeats the task wording as a sentence fragment beginning “Although,” while “it has historical value” does not agree clearly with the plural subject. Other examples include “Anything which gets old doesn't need to be removed by new one” and “both old and new buildings need to be build.” Work on complete sentence structure, subject–verb agreement, articles, and the correct passive form (“need to be built”). Breaking long sentences into shorter, accurately controlled units would improve clarity.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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