Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-09-20

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)

Some people maintain that animals no longer have to be kept in zoos, while others hold opposing opinion assuming that, zoos is preserved place for wild animals and should be opened for them. I completely disagree that zoos should be kept open for wild animals to live inside it. And the following essay will explain my position using relevant evidance.

To begin with, a large number of people nowadays believe that all zoos should be closed, because animals should be kept outside a zooz and live in the wild, because they suffer living in closed environment. For instance, recent study conducted by scientists shows that 18 percent of wild animals such as lions, tigers, suffer from serious health problems, depression, lack of nutritions, due to the isoltion and the mistreating inside zoos. Therefore, it is more safe for these animals to live in the nature in a spacious areas with other animals.

In addition to this, many animals are not meant to live in a hot places such as Algeria, Moroco, all these countries have high temperature at summer, and it can affect different animals such as north bears. Therefore, the right desicion is to maintain every animals in the right place, to protect them from several crucial problems in the future

In conclusion, although many individuals believe that zoos should be kept open for the purpose of amusing people and animals protection, others hold opposing opinion conducting that animals have the right to live is the wild with other spieces and practice their hunting skills. I completely agree with this opinion, and animals have to right to live a normal live as they supposed too.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt directly by taking a clear stance against zoos, stating, 'I completely disagree that zoos should be kept open.' Main ideas are presented, such as animal suffering and inappropriate climatic conditions (e.g., polar bears in hot regions). However, the development of these ideas tends to be limited and lacks depth. For instance, the statistic '18 percent of wild animals' is introduced without real elaboration, and the body paragraphs rely on general claims rather than fully extended arguments. Furthermore, there is a slight contradiction and confusion in the introduction where the author mentions 'assuming that, zoos is preserved place... and should be opened for them,' which slightly muddies the initial position, although the overall stance becomes clearer later. Overall, the task is addressed, placing the performance at a Band 5.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is divided into four paragraphs, providing a basic structural framework with an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Basic cohesive devices are used to signal transitions, such as 'To begin with,' 'In addition to this,' and 'In conclusion.' However, paragraphing and referencing are sometimes awkward or faulty. For instance, the referencing pronoun 'it' in the second body paragraph ('it can affect different animals such as north bears') lacks a precise antecedent, and the logical progression between sentences occasionally falters due to abrupt shifts in ideas. The conclusion also introduces new ideas ('amusing people and animals protection') rather than neatly summarising the preceding arguments. These issues place the cohesion and coherence at a Band 5.5 level.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for communicating basic ideas, but it lacks the range and precision expected at higher bands. The student attempts some less common vocabulary such as 'isoltion,' 'mistreating,' and 'crucial problems,' but these are marred by frequent spelling and word-form errors (e.g., 'zooz,' 'nutritions,' 'north bears' instead of 'polar bears,' 'desicion,' 'spieces'). Repetition of words like 'animals' and 'live' is also noticeable. While the vocabulary is minimally sufficient to convey the writer's general meaning, the frequency of lexical errors and restricted range prevent the score from exceeding Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures such as conditional and concessive clauses (e.g., 'although many individuals believe that...'). However, grammatical accuracy is weak throughout the text. There are frequent errors in article usage, preposition selection, and subject-verb agreement, such as 'zoos is preserved place,' 'live in the nature in a spacious areas,' and 'animals have to right to live a normal live as they supposed too.' Punctuation is also problematic, notably with intrusive comma splices and unnecessary commas separating subjects and verbs. Because these frequent errors cause occasional strain for the reader, a Band 5.0 is appropriate.

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

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