Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-11-05

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 debated that ancient buildings that includes art galleries and town halls must be repaired even though it could be expensive while others dispute that government should substitute them with newly designed buildings.In my opinion, historical buildings should be renovated to preserve the history of our ancestors rather than to be demolished.In this essay I will discuss both views.

In the first place, preseverance of buildings like art galleries and town halls gives the chance to younger people to understand the cultural heritage even if cost more. For instance, restoration of the museum helps us to learn lifestyle and culture of the people 100 decades ago. As a result, it brings the enthusiasm to save our ancestral heritage.Moreover, ancient buildings are the tourists sposts and aslo brings the job opportunities for the locals.They helps us to promote the importance of cultural heritage.

In the second place, people argue that the government should change such buildings into new ones. Modern buildings have update architecture and brings the opportunity for many people to work there.Ancient buildings that are costing enough in preserving infrastructure could be reshaped into business hub or a school.So that they will be used by public as an income source. Furthermore,the cities are growing rapidly by the number of modern buildings and enhancing the beauty of the city, so these buildings are just costing more and more in restoration.

In conclusion, old buildings are the part of our culture and should be restored for the younger people to understand the importance of culture.If the building is costing enough so it should be reshaped into the new building so that it helps local people to work there.

AI examiner evaluation

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

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both sides of the discussion and state a clear preference for restoring historic buildings, particularly in the opening. The points about cultural heritage, tourism and local employment are relevant, and the example of a museum gives some support. However, several ideas are asserted rather than explained: for example, the link between restoration and “enthusiasm to save our ancestral heritage” is not developed, and the case for replacing buildings is presented mainly as a general claim about cost and city appearance. Your conclusion also introduces a condition about rebuilding if preservation is costly, which makes your position less definite than the opening. Explain when replacement is justified and weigh its benefits against heritage value more clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “In the first place,” “In the second place,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the discussion. However, these links are somewhat mechanical, and some connections between ideas are unclear. For instance, “So that they will be used by public as an income source” does not clearly explain how converting a building into a school or business hub generates income. There are also places where ideas run together, such as the opening and the sentence about tourism and jobs. Use clearer sentence boundaries and refer back to the specific building or argument so that the progression feels more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “cultural heritage,” “restoration,” “ancestral heritage,” and “architecture,” and you attempt less common expressions to discuss preservation and development. However, several word choices, collocations and spelling errors reduce precision: “preserverance” appears to mean “preservation,” “tourists sposts” is unclear, and “update architecture” is not a natural phrase. Expressions such as “costing enough in preserving infrastructure” and “reshaped into business hub” also make some points difficult to interpret. Aim for accurate, natural combinations rather than more elaborate wording, and proofread spelling. A more precise vocabulary range would help you express the contrast between conservation costs and the practical benefits of redevelopment.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses with “even though,” “while,” and “if,” and the overall meaning is generally understandable. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with subject–verb agreement, articles and sentence construction. For example, “buildings that includes” should use a plural verb, while “They helps us” should be “They help us”; “a business hub” also needs an article. The conditional in “If the building is costing enough” is not formed naturally, and several sentences are joined or punctuated unclearly, including the opening. Work on accurate agreement and complete sentence boundaries, while continuing to practise complex clauses; this will make your arguments easier to follow.

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.