Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-09-15

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)

It is widely beleif that there is no need to have kept animals in zoos and they shpuld be permanent closed. I partially agree with this view because zoos are the ideal habitats for animals.

There are several reasons why zoos are needad. First and foremost one is that they provide essesntial services to animals such as medical facilitiies, food and shelters and protection. This is because many species are becoming endangered

due to illegal hunting and climate change. As a result, zoos can offer these animals a safe environment and help increase their numbers through breeding programmes.

On the other hand, keeping wild animals in zoos can negativelt affect their physical and mental well-being. In the wild, animals have large areas where they can move freely, find food and interact with other animals.However, zoos usually provide much smaller spaces, which may prevent animals from beaving natrally. For example, animals such as elephants and lions need a large amount of space to remain active and healthy. In addition, some animals may become stressed or bored when they spend most of their lives in captivity.

In my opinion, zoos should not be completely closed, but they should be carefully controlled. Zoos that provide enough space proper food and suitable conditions for animals should be allowed to continue operating.

In conclusion, I disagree

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response partially addresses the task by discussing both sides of the argument regarding zoos and stating a personal position in the conclusion. However, the student's introduction contains a contradiction, stating 'zoos are the ideal habitats for animals' while also writing 'I partially agree', and the conclusion is abruptly cut off at 'In conclusion, I disagree', failing to complete the final sentence. Furthermore, the response falls short of the 250-word minimum, containing only 221 words. Because of the under-length penalty and the incomplete conclusion, the development of ideas is limited, preventing the response from reaching a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a generally coherent overall arrangement with a recognisable paragraph structure. The writer uses basic cohesive devices and signposting language such as 'First and foremost', 'On the other hand', and 'In addition' to guide the reader through different perspectives. However, referencing and logical progression are occasionally hindered by the abrupt ending and minor cohesive lapses. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate introduction, arguments for, arguments against, and conclusion, but the lack of a fully realised concluding paragraph affects the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'endangered', 'illegal hunting', 'well-being', and 'captivity'. However, there are several noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as 'beleif' instead of belief, 'shpuld' instead of should, 'needad' instead of needed, 'essesntial' instead of essential, 'facilitiies' instead of facilities, 'negativelt' instead of negatively, and 'beaving natrally' instead of behaving naturally. These errors show a limited control over spelling and word formation, which restricts the lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional ideas reasonably well in sentences like 'This is because many species are becoming endangered due to illegal hunting and climate change.' However, grammatical accuracy is undermined by frequent slips and structural errors, such as 'It is widely beleif that there is no need to have kept animals in zoos and they shpuld be permanent closed.' Punctuation and spacing errors also appear, such as missing spaces after periods (e.g., 'animals.However'). While the errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent the response from achieving a higher band.

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