Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-13

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)

Undoubtedly, animals are a crucial part of the food chain, and they should be left free instead of being caged. However, some people believe that animals should not be kept in zoos and due to that zoos should be shut down. I completely disagree with this point of view as zoos should be maintained properly as they benefit people and animals both in different ways.

One major reason why zoos should not be closed is because they educate people about the different species of wildlife. To clarify, schools organise educational trips from which students can visually learn and see how animals survive, and what kind of food they require on a daily basis. This information can be gathered from the books but learning in-person is a totally different experience. Secondly, it is crucial to preserve the endangered species in the zoo. The breeding programmes in zoological institutions can help increase the population of species that are threatened in their natural habitats.

Furthermore, zoos can generally provide medical care for the sick or injured animals. Regular health check-ups can be scheduled and the veterinary specialist can be present all the time to take care of them. As a result, the chances of them being hurt by the predators or dying from starvation are quite low. Apart from this, Zoo provides protection to the animals who cannot survive in the wildlife. To explain, animals rescued from certain dangerous situations cannot be released immediately into the wildlife.

In conclusion, preserving zoos help protect the wildlife in a number of ways such as the breeding programmes for the endangered species, additionally providing the animals with proper medical care can rescue them from the predators as will as starvation.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.5
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have clearly stated your position in the introduction and maintained it throughout the essay. The response addresses the prompt by providing reasons for supporting zoos, such as education, conservation, and medical care. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed. To reach a higher band, ensure that your examples are more specific; for instance, instead of mentioning 'schools organise educational trips' in general, you could briefly describe a specific type of conservation project or a well-known zoo initiative. Overall, you have addressed all parts of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organised with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and you use cohesive devices such as 'One major reason', 'Secondly', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the final sentence of the conclusion is a bit repetitive in its structure. Improving the flow between sentences by using more varied linking phrases would enhance the overall coherence. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'endangered species', 'breeding programmes', and 'veterinary specialist' correctly. There are some minor issues with collocation and word choice, such as 'the wildlife' (which is often used as an uncountable noun without 'the' in this context) and 'as will as' (a spelling error for 'as well as'). While you use some topic-specific vocabulary, incorporating more sophisticated synonyms or idiomatic expressions would help elevate your score to the next level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. Most of your sentences are clear and easy to follow. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'benefit people and animals both' (word order) and the aforementioned 'as will as'. Additionally, some articles are used inconsistently, such as 'the wildlife'. Despite these minor errors, your control of grammar is generally good, and the meaning is never obscured. To improve, focus on refining your use of articles and ensuring subject-verb agreement in more complex sentences.

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

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