Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-11

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)

Zoo is a place where animals are kept for entertainment purpose of the public or humans. Humans buy tickets to the zoo to see dangerous animals in a safe environment. This has been a practice going on all over the world. It is a means of earning and serves the entertainment and learning purpose for people.

I believe that animals should not be kept in zoo for several reasons. Animals are living beings like humans, who cannot communicate like we do and for us humans to keep them in zoo, we are not capable enough to cater their needs as we do not understand them regardless of the advancement in science.

Animals like lions, tiger, elephants, deer, snakes, etc need an open environment where they can thrive, they need space to live, to move around in a habitat that suits them.

Many Animals are going extinct because we humans invade their space, we destroy their habitat and then take those animals to be showpiece for entertainment purpose. There have been cases where its reported that animals in zoo are not treated good by staff or public.

Animals living in a caged environment forget how to learn, how to hunt, how to move how animals should, they become lazy and used to be fed that when zoo close, they cannot survive in the wild.

Consequently, I believe that zoos should be closed as we have enough knowledge on the internet to learn or to see how those animals behave, act. Zoos in many ways harm the the natural order that we need to rebuild.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position against zoos. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you provide reasons such as animal welfare and the availability of digital alternatives, the arguments lack depth and specific examples. For instance, mentioning that animals are not treated well by staff is a general claim that would benefit from a more concrete illustration or a more nuanced discussion of conservation efforts. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your points with more detailed explanations or evidence, ensuring that the connection between your arguments and your overall stance is consistently strong throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into short paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited and sometimes mechanical. For example, you rely heavily on simple sentence structures and lack a variety of linking words to connect your ideas smoothly. Transitions between paragraphs are often abrupt, such as the jump from the second to the third paragraph. To improve, try using a wider range of cohesive devices like 'furthermore', 'consequently', 'in contrast', or 'on the other hand' to create a more logical flow between your sentences and paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You use basic terms like 'good', 'bad', and 'place', which are repetitive. There are also some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'entertainment purpose of the public' instead of 'public entertainment' and 'not treated good' instead of 'not treated well'. To improve, focus on using more sophisticated vocabulary related to the topic, such as 'conservation', 'captivity', 'natural habitat', and 'educational value', and ensure you are using them in the correct context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally hinder the flow. For example, you have issues with article usage ('in zoo' instead of 'in zoos'), subject-verb agreement, and punctuation. Some sentences are run-on or lack necessary commas, such as 'Animals like lions, tiger, elephants, deer, snakes, etc need an open environment'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for basic errors and practicing more complex sentence structures will help you improve.

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

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