Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-10-02

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)

Nowadays, people are debating over whether we should close our zoos. I totally disagree with this fact. The main reasons behind this are safety of animals and deforestation.

The main reason behind keeping animals inside zoos is safety. This is because the extreme weather and urbanization are causing significant problems to sustain in wildlife. The sources of water and food are decreasing rapidly each day. For instance, The West Bengal Tiger in East India were on the verge of extinction. Local government and wildlife society decided to protected them from hunters. They were given proper source of nutrition and water in zoos and as a result by 2025 the population increased by 25% in India. Therefore, it is clear that zoos saved the extinction of this breed by providing safe environment.

Admittedly, some argue that we should free the animals into wild and keep the zoos closed. Keeping them out in the wild provides the best environment for new born animals as they can learn from their peers and explore. While this argument has some merit, it overlooks the fact that animals would be more vulnerable. In this modern world, where animal smuggling is rising exponentially, keeping them inside the safe environment is wiser. For instance, the Rhinos are on the verge of the extinction in the South Africa due to animal smuggling problems.

In conclusion, the government and local animal communities should protect them by building more zoos and national park with limited visitors. Implementing new stricter rules with significant fines would benefit them as well.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task and maintains a clear position throughout by disagreeing with the closure of zoos. The ideas presented are well-extended and supported with relevant examples, such as the case of the West Bengal Tiger in East India. However, there is a slight tendency to over-generalise regarding the impact of animal smuggling and deforestation without deeper exploration. While the main arguments concerning safety and conservation are clearly articulated and supported, certain supporting details could have been further elaborated to push the response into fully rounded development. The overall stance is coherent and sustains the demands of the prompt effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct aspect of the argument. Cohesive devices are used flexibly, including transition phrases like 'The main reason behind', 'Admittedly', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader smoothly through the text. Paragraphing is managed sufficiently and appropriately, separating the introduction, two body paragraphs, and the conclusion into logical segments. Although referencing and substitution are generally clear, occasional mechanical transitions prevent the cohesion from being entirely seamless, keeping the response firmly within the established logical structure.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task and successfully attempts less common lexical items such as 'urbanization', 'extinction', 'exponentially', and 'vulnerable'. There is some awareness of style and collocation, demonstrated in phrases like 'verge of extinction' and 'wildlife society'. However, occasional errors in word choice and phrasing occur, such as 'problems to sustain in wildlife' instead of 'problems sustaining wildlife' and 'free the animals into wild' instead of 'release animals into the wild'. These minor lexical slips do not impede communication, showing that the vocabulary range meets the baseline required while successfully incorporating several less common expressions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and conditional-style reasoning effectively. There are several error-free sentences, demonstrating an adequate command of grammar and punctuation. However, some persistent errors in grammar and article usage remain throughout the text, such as 'safety of animals' missing an article in the opening, 'decided to protected them' involving a verb form error, and 'building more zoos and national park' lacking plural agreement. Punctuation and verb tenses are mostly controlled, but these recurring minor inaccuracies indicate a mix of structures where errors occasionally surface without impeding overall communication.

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