Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-11-07

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)

Zoos are very important in the life of an animal. Zoos are homes for thousands of animals where they are kept. Zoos are one of the most visited places, especially by those who have kids with them.

Well, I would not agree from this statement of keeping animals out of zoos and closing them.

In this essay, I will discuss why zoos should remain open and how they are important as a tourist attraction.

One of the biggest reasons for having animals inside the zoo is the threat they pose towards the public.Not all of the animals are friendly and loving. There are many animals, who are always planning to attack the people for the sake of their food.

In the zoo, animals are given food and they are cleaned on daily basis. On the other hand, if they were kept out of the zoo, they would have been a serious threat to society.Also there have been various instances where wild animals, which were left wide open seem to attack the human beings.

Another reason of having animals inside the zoo is that if left alone, they might become endangered species just like some other species.This could seriously effect the tourism of any country.For instance,many countries have visitors from all over the world.So, this might be directly effected by this decision.This decision will directly effect the revenues generated by the country through toursim.

In conclusion,I disagree with this statement that animals should be kept in zoos and zoos should be closed. Zoos are an important part of tourism and closing it will directly effect the tourism and revenues generated from it.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

Your position is clear: you disagree with closing zoos, and you give two reasons—public safety and tourism. These points are relevant, but the response only partially develops the task because the reasons are not fully explained or supported. For example, the claim that animals left outside zoos would threaten the public does not address the proposal to close zoos in favour of other forms of animal care, and the assertion that animals might become endangered is not connected clearly to how zoos prevent this. Tourism is mentioned in both the introduction and conclusion, but it is not enough on its own to establish why zoos should remain open. Develop each reason with a specific, credible example and explain how it supports your position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The paragraphs each focus on a main point, and phrases such as “Another reason” and “In conclusion” help signal the stages of the argument. However, progression within the body paragraphs is sometimes unclear. The shift from animal safety to tourism, and then to endangered species, is not fully explained, while “This decision” is repeated without a precise reference. Some linking is mechanical, and the conclusion largely repeats the introduction rather than drawing the reasons together. Use clearer links between claims and explanations, and make references explicit so readers can follow how each point supports your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate your main ideas, including “endangered species,” “tourist attraction,” and “revenues.” However, the range is limited and several expressions are repetitive or imprecise, such as repeated references to “animals inside the zoo” and “this decision.” Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate: “effect the tourism” should be “affect tourism,” and “toursim” is a spelling error. Phrases such as “planning to attack the people” also sound unnatural and overstate the point. Aim for more precise language about conservation, animal welfare, and public safety, and check spelling and common word partnerships during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mixture of simple sentences and some longer structures, including conditional forms such as “if they were kept out of the zoo” and a relative clause beginning “which were left wide open.” Meaning is generally understandable, but control is uneven, and punctuation errors sometimes interrupt the reading. For example, there is no space after the full stops in “public.Not” and “society.Also,” and the opening “I would not agree from this statement” has an awkward grammatical construction. The conditional “they would have been a serious threat” does not fit smoothly with the hypothetical situation described. Practise forming clear conditional sentences and review sentence boundaries, spacing, and article use to make your ideas easier to follow.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.