Many old buildings are protected by law because they are part of a nation’s history. However, some people think old buildings should be knocked down to make way for new ones because people need houses and offices. How important is it to maintain old buildings? Should history stand in the way of progress?
Sample Response
Governments commonly protectIt is a common thing that governments will protect some of the historical buildings in their country, but some people disagree with this policysome people disagree with it. They believe that these old buildings should be demolished and replaced with new ones, as the demand for propertyproperties is increasing rapidly these days. I believe that preserving certain historical buildings is importantmaintaining some of the historical buildings is an important thing and a combination of historic and modern buildingsa combination between classic and modern buildings in the city would be an advantage for the cityan advantage for the city itself.
For a number of reasons, maintaining historical buildingsbuilding is an important thing. Firstly, these historical buildings have witnessedhave become the witness of some of the country's significant historical eventscountry's significant and monumental events. For example, the White HouseWhite House witnessedhad been the witness of how Americans obtained their independencethe American had obtained its independence from the British, and how slavery was abolishedslavery had been ceased by Abraham Lincoln. Secondly, many old buildings have priceless artistic valuecontain a priceless value of art, as some buildings were designed by famous architects or painted by some legendary painters such as the church in Rome which was painted by Michelangelo. Therefore, itTherefore it is important for the government to preserve old buildings.
Many cities have successfully combined classic and modern buildings in their master plansplan. As they have realised that this combination would make the city become more attractive. In cities such as LondonIn cities such as in London, Brussels and Paris, people would commonly see that many historical buildings are preserved as museums or converted into government officesare preserved as museums or become government offices. Standing next to these historical buildingsStanding to these historical buildings are new and modern buildings which have a futuristic design. Many people believe that the combination has made these cities uniquehas made these cities become unique and attractive tofor tourists. As a result, it has boosted the city tourism industry and created a lot of job opportunities for the local people.
In conclusion, many countries are protecting old buildings, as they believe that preserving and maintaining the buildings is an essential thing. Although some people think that old buildings should be replaced with new ones as the demand for properties has increased significantly, I personally believe that some of the old buildings should be preserved, as they have historical and artistic values. Besides that, the combination of old and modern buildings would make the city become more unique and it would attract many tourists.
Why this response received Band 6.5
The essay offers a clear case for preserving selected historic buildings and develops the practical idea of integrating them with modern development. The main weakness is that the question about whether history should obstruct progress is answered mostly by implication, while awkward phrasing and recurring grammatical errors limit polish. The priority is to address that trade-off directly and support the position with accurate, carefully expressed evidence.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The importance of preservation is developed clearly, but the conflict between history and progress receives a less direct and less fully qualified answer.
State explicitly when preservation should or should not limit new development and develop that principle with a relevant example.
Coherence and Cohesion
Clear paragraphing and a logical movement from preservation to coexistence support progression, though some links are repetitive or structurally awkward.
Use complete linking sentences and make each paragraph advance a distinct part of the two-question argument.
Lexical Resource
There is adequate topic vocabulary and some less common language, but recurrent unnatural collocations reduce precision and flexibility.
Replace repeated vague phrases such as important thing and become attractive with precise, natural academic collocations.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The essay uses varied sentence forms, but errors in articles, agreement, tense, and clause construction occur regularly despite generally clear meaning.
Improve control of articles and verb forms, and avoid dependent-clause fragments beginning with linking words such as as.
Write this task while it is fresh
Try the same task now. It helps you remember the feedback and write better next time.
IELTS Writing Task 2
Many old buildings are protected by law because they are part of a nation’s history. However, some people think old buildings should be knocked down to make way for new ones because people need houses and offices. How important is it to maintain old buildings? Should history stand in the way of progress?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.