Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-05

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 no longer need animals to keep in zoos, so zoos should be closed. I strongly disagree with this opinion because zoos help protect endanger humans and prevent from extinction of various species. Additionally, zoos help scientists to carry out wildlife research and also develop better life for animals.

Firstly, zoos prevent creating harm to humans. If animals such as lions, tigers, crocodiles, and venomous snakes are allowed to roam in open areas then they might kill humans. Recently, many crocodiles came out of river in one of the states in India and killed several children and women due to heavy floods. Secondly, It will protect various species from becoming extinct. In earlier years, many animals got killed by other animals for search of food and by humans. Humans kill animals to get their body parts like elephant's tusk, skin of crocodiles and so on.

In addition, zoos encourage scientists to carry out wildlife research. If animals are not observed and studied, this research cannot be carried out. Today, Dr. Harry Parker and other scientists study animals to learn their behavior and reproduction. Furthermore, zoos create better environment for animals. Animals tend to live longer in zoos than in forests. Many animals die due to various disease, but in zoos doctor cure disease by providing medicines. Also animals might die due to hunger, and this situation is not created in zoos.

In conclusion, although closing zoos might have certain benefits, I believe that zoos helps in giving better life to animals and prevent from extinction. It also protect humans from been harmed, so zoos should exist alongside.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position against closing zoos. The ideas are relevant, such as wildlife research and species protection. However, the development is somewhat uneven. The argument regarding 'protecting humans' by keeping dangerous animals in zoos is a weak and somewhat illogical point, as zoos are not primarily designed for human safety from wild animals. The point about 'preventing extinction' is better developed, but the supporting examples, such as the mention of crocodiles in India, are not clearly linked to the role of zoos in conservation. To improve, focus on more sophisticated arguments like the role of zoos in captive breeding programs and public education.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'In addition', and 'In conclusion', which help the reader follow the progression of ideas. However, some transitions feel mechanical, and the logical flow within paragraphs is occasionally disrupted by awkward phrasing, such as the sudden shift from discussing dangerous animals to the extinction of species. The referencing is generally clear, but the connection between sentences could be smoother to achieve a more natural flow of information.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to express their opinions clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'extinction', 'wildlife research', and 'reproduction'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and awkward collocations, such as 'prevent creating harm' instead of 'prevent harm' and 'develop better life' instead of 'improve the quality of life'. The range is sufficient for the task, but lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Expanding the range of synonyms and focusing on natural collocations would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the extinction', 'the river'), prepositions ('prevent from extinction'), and verb forms ('prevent creating harm', 'protect humans from been harmed'). Subject-verb agreement and pluralization are also inconsistent. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and refining the use of complex sentence structures would help improve the overall quality.

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

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