Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-11-13

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 need to be permenantly shut down as they are no longer required to keep animlas. I strongly agree with the statment as keeping animals trapped in a zoo for recreationa violates their right to roam freely in the wild.its also the reason of animals being depressed and lonely.

Places like zoo takes away the freedom animals are supposed to have. Most of the animals kept in these places belong to wilderness, run after their prey and reproduce with their own kind of species. When animals like these are confined to a limited space, they become unable to perform any of these activities which are important for them. A recent article by Oxford university published that animals are way more hornier than humans when it comes to sex, just like us they also have needs which cannot be fulfilled living in captivity.

Moreover, most animals found in the zoo go through depression and the feeling of being lonely. According to multiple researches even these species crave companionship and stronger ties. A recent research was conducted on a monkey from Japan who was noticed to be always sad and yearning for freedom. People working there brought him everything which monkeys like, she had a bucket full of banana and toys to play with but she was seen in the same mood everyday until only when she was carried back to the place where she was taken captive

In conlusion, the concept of zoos need to be abolished for good as they limit animals' space, needs, freedom and make them depressed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear from the opening: you strongly agree that zoos should close, and the conclusion restates this view. You give relevant reasons—restricted freedom and animals’ emotional wellbeing—and include examples, such as the account of the Japanese monkey. However, the two main ideas are not developed equally: the first paragraph explains limits on natural behaviour, while the claim about depression relies on a brief, unclear anecdote. The point about animals’ reproductive needs is also asserted rather than connected fully to why all zoos should close. To strengthen the response, explain how your examples support the proposed closure and address the broader implications, such as whether conservation or rescue functions could be provided elsewhere.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your view, two body paragraphs present reasons, and a conclusion summarises them. Sequencing is generally easy to follow, and transitions such as “Moreover” and “In conclusion” help signal the progression. Some connections, however, are mechanical or unclear. The shift from animals’ natural behaviour to the claim about sexual needs is abrupt, and the monkey example’s final sentence is difficult to follow because the relationship between the toys, the animal’s mood, and being “carried back” is not clearly explained. Use clearer referencing and divide long explanations into more manageable sentences. A more explicit link between each example and the paragraph’s main claim would make the argument flow more smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “confined,” “captivity,” “companionship,” and “freedom,” and these choices help communicate your central concerns. However, the range and control are limited by noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, including “permenantly,” “animlas,” “statment,” and “conlusion.” Some expressions are also awkward or too informal for an academic essay: “way more hornier,” “their own kind of species,” and “the same mood everyday.” Choose precise, natural collocations and check spelling carefully. For example, describe animals as “more sexually active” rather than using the informal comparative, and refer to “members of their own species.” These improvements would make your meaning clearer and your tone more consistently academic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a conditional structure in “When animals like these are confined … they become unable to perform…” and a relative clause in “a monkey from Japan who was noticed…”. The main ideas are usually understandable, but some grammatical errors and punctuation problems reduce accuracy. For instance, “Places like zoo takes away” has a number-agreement problem, while “A recent research was conducted on a monkey … who was noticed to be always sad” is awkwardly constructed. The long final sentence in the third paragraph also lacks clear sentence boundaries and control of clauses. Practise agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries, and revise complex sentences to ensure each clause has a clear subject and verb.

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