Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-13

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)

We no longer need to have animal kept in zoos, so zoo should be closed. I agree to this statement because animals are living beings and they feel pain. Wild animals in zoo also require large, species-specific enclosures that replace their natural habitat. And these animals also need the facilities such as veterinary care, enrichment tools, shelter to ensure both physical health and psychological wellbeing. And carnivores lion, tiger and bear need 0.5 to 2+ acres per animal, elephants requires about 2-5 acres per herd minimum, chimps and gorillas need vertical and horizontal space with trees for climbing and birds like eagle needs large aviaries that is tall and wide so that they can fly.

And zoos in most developing countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh usually do not have facilities to maintenance wild animals. So we should focus making alternatives of zoo in which animals can feel free. Like wildlife sanctuary, this is the large protected area where animals can roam freely. Second is the national parks, which is a huge natural haven protected by government. Third would be safari parks, where visitors drive through large open enclosures and animals have way more space and can behave naturally. And last would be conservation centers, which focus on breeding of endangered species and help to save the species from extinction.

That is why I believe that zoos should be banned because developing countries buy the exotic animals from other countries and do not have facilities to take care of them so they died. The most important case is when India bought seven tigers from a African country which they can not take care of and six of them died.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of closing zoos. The ideas are relevant, particularly the focus on animal welfare and the suggestion of alternatives like wildlife sanctuaries and safari parks. However, the development is somewhat uneven. While the specific space requirements for animals are detailed, the argument regarding developing countries is a bit repetitive and relies on a single anecdotal example. To improve, you should aim to balance your points more evenly and ensure that your supporting evidence is integrated more smoothly into the overall argument rather than listing examples in a way that feels slightly disjointed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into three paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Second is', 'Third would be', and 'That is why'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical and repetitive. Additionally, the transition between the first paragraph (general welfare) and the second (alternatives) is a bit abrupt. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence that guides the reader through your logic.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'species-specific', 'psychological wellbeing', 'enrichment tools', and 'extinction'. However, there are some noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'facilities to maintenance wild animals' (should be 'maintain') and 'buy the exotic animals' (should be 'purchase' or 'acquire'). There is also a slight lack of precision in some phrasing. To reach a higher band, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and ensuring that your word forms are consistently accurate throughout the essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt to use complex sentences, there are frequent errors in grammar, such as subject-verb agreement ('elephants requires', 'birds like eagle needs'), article usage ('the African country'), and pluralization ('animal kept'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the overall clarity. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, specifically subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles.

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

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