Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Predictions Nov 2026 · 2026-11-11

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In some cities, people are knocking down historic buildings to make room for more homes.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

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, THE CONSTRUCTION OF NEW BUILDINGS IS INCREASING DAY BY DAY. MAJORITY OF PEOPLE PREFER TO REPLACE HISTORICAL BUILDINGS WITH MORE HOMES. WHILE OTHERS TOTALLY DISAGREE WITH THIS IDEA. ACCORDING TO MY PERSPECTIVE, KNOCKING DOWN HISTORIC BUILDINGS IS NOT A GREAT WAY TO MAKE ROOM. THERE ARE FEW REASONS TO BELIEVE SO.

TO BEGIN WITH, THE INDIVIDUALS WHO BELIEVE DEMOLISHING ANCIENT BUILDINGS IS ONE OF THE EASIEST WAY TO MAKE SPACE. FOR EXAMPLE, NOWADAYS IN INDIA, THE GOVERNMENT PULLING DOWN ALL THE OLD STRUCTURE AND CONVERT THEM INTO RESIDENTIAL AREA. AS A RESULT, PEOPLE GET PLACE WHERE THEY CAN LIVE WITH THEIR FAMILY. MOREOVER, IT PROVIDE GREAT INCOME TO THE AUTHORITY. FOR INSTANCE, CONSTRUCTING NEW HOUSES AND SELLING THEM AT HIGH INTEREST RATE PROVIDES A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY.

ON THE OTHER HAND, SOME PEOPLE THINK KNOCKING DOWN OLD BUILDINGS REMOVE OUR ANCIENT MEMORIES AS WELL. AND IT LAYS NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE FUTURE GENERATION. BECAUSE WE HAVE NOTHING TO SHOW THEM WHICH IS RELATED WITH THEIR HISTORY AS WELL AS WE ALL LOSE OUR PRECIOUS THINGS THAT OUR HISTORY GAVE US. FURTHERMORE, CONSTRUCTING NEW HOMES EFFECTS THE ENVIRONMENT AS WELL. FOR EXAMPLE, THE NOISE POLLUTION AND AIR POLLUTION START EFFECTING THE NATURE.

TO CONCLUDE, MAKING ROOM FOR NEW HOUSES IS GOOD TO SOME EXTENT AND HAS SOME VALID REASONS, BUT ACCORDING TO MY KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE I THINK PROTECTING OUR OLD HISTORICAL BUILDINGS HAS MORE POSITIVE IMPACT NOT ONLY ON THE ENVIRONMENT BUT ON THE YOUNGSTERS AS WELL.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you oppose demolishing historic buildings, and the conclusion reinforces this view. You also acknowledge the opposing argument that redevelopment can provide homes and income, then give relevant counterpoints about heritage and environmental effects. This addresses the task, but the two sides are not developed equally. The benefits paragraph mainly asserts that people gain homes and authorities earn money; it would be stronger with a specific example or explanation of why this benefit outweighs alternatives such as building on unused land. Your points about history and pollution are relevant, but need more explanation of their consequences. Develop each main reason with a clear example and link it directly to your position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph presenting benefits, a contrasting paragraph, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “To begin with,” “On the other hand,” and “To conclude” help readers follow the overall direction. However, some connections are mechanical, and the opening paragraph’s “While others totally disagree” is left as a fragment rather than integrated into the argument. Within the second body paragraph, the ideas about historical memory and environmental effects are placed together without a clear transition explaining their relationship. Use topic sentences to state each paragraph’s main point, then connect supporting explanations more explicitly. Clearer referencing would also help readers identify what “it” and “our precious things” refer to.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “historic buildings,” “residential area,” “future generation,” and “noise pollution.” These choices make the main ideas understandable, and there is some attempt to use more formal language. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “high interest rate” for the price of houses, “lays negative impact,” and “effecting the nature.” Repetition of general terms such as “old buildings,” “new homes,” and “good” also limits precision. Aim to use more exact topic vocabulary and check whether words naturally combine in English. For example, describe buildings as being “demolished” and explain that redevelopment “has an adverse effect” on the environment.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a contrast with “While” and a reason introduced by “Because.” The overall meaning is generally recoverable, but sentence control is inconsistent, and several errors affect clarity. For example, “the government pulling down” needs a finite verb, while “it provide” and “knocking down old buildings remove” have subject–verb agreement problems. The opening “While others totally disagree with this idea” is a dependent clause presented as a complete sentence, and “Because we have nothing to show them” is also left incomplete. Practise building complete sentences with clear subjects and verbs, and check agreement and verb forms. More accurate complex sentences would help express the relationships between your reasons.

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.