Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-28
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 5.5)
In this cutting-edge era the majority of animals and species are disappearing due to lack of resources . The majority of people believe that it is not necessary to kept animals in zoos therefore it should be closed, however I am disagree with this statement.
On one hand, why people think that it is not necessary to kept animals in zoo. To commence with, people think they kept animals in small and unnatural enclosures. Therefore, animals may suffer from stress and sometime they can’t behave naturally. Which creates problems for the visitor. As a result, zoos with poor management need to closed or improved facilities for animals.
On the other hand, I believe that there are various benefits if zoos remain opened. First and foremost is that, conservation of endangered species. As we know that zoo protects animals that are at high risk of extinction. And also protects them from predators. Apart from that they also participate in breeding programs. Which helps them to increase their population. Therefore I believe that instead of closing zoos they should improve the facilities for them.
For example, research from the zoo department shows that zoo helps animals to participate in breeding programs which helps them to develop their population of endangered species through controlled breeding.
In conclusion, although keeping animals in captivity can rise concern regrading their welfare as animals feel stressed and behaved unnaturally . But I believe that zoo should not closed properly because it helps animals to stay safe from predators and safe endangered species.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position against closing zoos. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention conservation and breeding programs, the arguments lack depth and specific, illustrative examples beyond a vague reference to 'research from the zoo department'. The structure is logical, but the points could be expanded with more detailed reasoning to reach a higher band. The conclusion restates your position, but the overall development remains somewhat superficial, which is characteristic of a Band 6 performance.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'On one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' to signal transitions. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly misused, such as starting sentences with 'Which' or 'And also'. The flow between sentences is sometimes disjointed, and the use of referencing could be more precise to improve the overall cohesion of the text. Paragraphing is present, but the internal logical progression within paragraphs needs more refinement.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'endangered species', 'extinction', and 'captivity'. However, there are frequent errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'I am disagree' instead of 'I disagree', and 'rise concern' instead of 'raise concerns'. Additionally, some phrasing is repetitive, and there is a lack of more sophisticated or 'less common' lexical items that would elevate the score. The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate your meaning, but the inaccuracies in word formation and collocation prevent a higher score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, particularly with verb forms and sentence fragments. For example, 'it is not necessary to kept animals' should be 'to keep animals', and 'zoos... need to closed' should be 'need to be closed'. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and punctuation. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of these errors indicates a lack of control over complex structures, placing this in the Band 5 range.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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