Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-04

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 believe that we do not need to keep animals in zoos anymore, so zoos should be closed. I strongly disagree with this opinion because giving freedom to animals can cause danger to humans, impact animal's habitat. It also helps in performing wildlife research about different species.

Firstly, zoos help to protect human from danger animals. Many dangerous animals such as lions, tigers, crocodiles and venomous snakes when allowed to roam in open world then they might kill human beings. Recently, many crocodiles came out of the river in one of the states in India due to heavy floods, which killed many children and women. Secondly, zoos protect the animals' habitats from extinction. In 19th century, many of the animal species became extinct because they were killed by another animal and by the humans. Human kill animals to get parts of their body such as elephant tusks, skin of the crocodile and so on. They sell this to vendors to get huge amount of money.

Additionally, zoos encourage many scientists to perform wildlife research. If animals are not found, the research cannot be carried on. Dr Harry Parker, one of the greatest wildlife researcher has recently made research about the hybrid snake, containing two head. It also help researchers to understand the reproduction of different animal. Furthermore, animals can live long in zoos compared to forests. Several animals die due to various diseases but in zoo doctors take cure the disease by providing medicines to them. In addition, animals living in forest sometimes die due to hunger, this concern in forgetable in zoos.

In conclusion, although closing zoos might have certain benifits. I strongly believe that zoos should exist to provide better life to animals and protect human from venomous species. It also help to discover more about their behaivour and reproduction.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. You provide relevant arguments, such as human safety, wildlife research, and animal welfare, to support your disagreement with closing zoos. However, some ideas are under-developed or contain logical gaps. For example, the claim that animals in the wild are killed by 'another animal' is a natural ecological process and does not necessarily justify zoos. Additionally, the argument regarding 'hybrid snakes' is not clearly linked to the necessity of zoos. To reach a higher band, ensure that your supporting examples are more logically sound and directly reinforce your main thesis rather than relying on generalisations.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organised into paragraphs, each with a clear central topic. You use cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Additionally', and 'In conclusion' to signal the progression of your argument. However, the use of some cohesive devices is mechanical, and there are instances where the flow between sentences is slightly abrupt. For example, the transition between the discussion of human safety and the mention of floods in India could be smoother. Referencing is generally clear, but some sentences lack the necessary logical connectors to link ideas seamlessly, which occasionally makes the progression feel a bit disjointed.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You use topic-specific terms like 'venomous species', 'extinction', and 'reproduction'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and minor errors, such as 'danger animals' instead of 'dangerous animals', 'open world' instead of 'the wild', and 'forgetable' instead of 'negligible' or 'avoidable'. These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your writing. To improve, focus on learning common collocations and refining your use of academic vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the 19th century', 'the reproduction'), subject-verb agreement ('it also help'), and pluralisation ('animal's habitat' instead of 'animals' habitats'). Some sentences are also slightly ungrammatical, such as 'Dr Harry Parker... has recently made research' (should be 'conducted research'). While these errors are noticeable, they rarely impede the reader's understanding. Increasing your control over basic grammatical rules and punctuation will help you achieve a higher score.

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

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