Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-11

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

We no longer need to have animals kept in zoos, so zoos should be closed.

Do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.5)

It has always been a matter of debate whether we should keep animals in zoos or zoos should be closed. Releasing all the animals in natural habitate can cause extinction of many species because of habitat destruction, illegal hunting and global warming. I certainly agree with the concept of keeping animals in zoos, because it helps us in protecting endangered species.

The natural habitat of flora and fauna is getting destroyed by humans because of increasing urbanization and industrialization. This effects the food and life cycle of plants and animals and slowly leads to extinction. Similarly, poaching and illegal hunting of animals for their skin and other parts is also at alarming rate. For instance, In Kenya, more than 30 elephants killed by poachers every year for their tusks. In order to save elephants for poachers, forest department cut their tusks at young age. Moreover, pollution is also one of the major reason for decline in many essential plant and animal species. As, Pollution can hinder the growth of trees and other plants by contaminating the air, soil, and water, thereby reducing their ability to absorb nutrients and carry out photosynthesis.

In my viewpoint, keeping animals in zoos is the best practice to save them from extinction. Government should run awareness campaigns to educate people regarding such vulnerable species of animals, so everyone can contribute in saving them. For example, in 2008, there were only 10 Bengal tigers left on earth, but with the proper conservation and planning of keeping them in constraint and restricted area changes those numbers to 128 in the year 2025.

To sum up, due to the increasingly urbanization and pollution, the risk of extinction is high for both plant and animal species. Consequently, in order to save them, it is better to keep them in zoos with proper care and natural habitat.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed the prompt clearly by taking a firm stance in favor of zoos as a conservation tool. Your position is consistent throughout the essay. You provide relevant arguments regarding habitat loss and poaching, and you support these with examples, such as the situation in Kenya and the Bengal tiger conservation statistics. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments are fully developed; for instance, while you mention that zoos help, you could briefly explain how they contribute to research or breeding programs beyond just 'keeping them in a restricted area' to provide a more nuanced perspective on the role of modern zoos.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'Similarly', 'Moreover', and 'To sum up' to guide the reader through your arguments. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the paragraphing could be improved by ensuring each paragraph focuses on a single, well-defined theme. For example, the second paragraph mixes habitat destruction, poaching, and pollution, which makes the flow slightly dense. Using more sophisticated linking phrases would help improve the overall progression of your ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'urbanization', 'industrialization', 'poaching', and 'photosynthesis' correctly. There are some minor word-choice errors, such as 'natural habitate' (habitat) and 'increasing urbanization' (increasingly or increased). Additionally, the phrase 'keeping them in constraint' is slightly awkward; 'captivity' would be more precise. To improve, try to incorporate more collocations and less common lexical items to demonstrate greater flexibility and precision in your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. Examples include 'This effects the food' (affects), 'one of the major reason' (reasons), and 'changes those numbers' (changed). There are also issues with article usage and subject-verb agreement. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and pluralization will significantly enhance the accuracy of your writing.

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

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