Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-15

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 6.0)

There is an ongoing debate on whether animals should be kept in zoos. Some people think that animals are not needed to kept in zoos and zoos should be closed. I strongly disagree with this view because zoos are beneficial for animals as well as for humans.

Firstly, animals kept in zoos are more pretested because zoo officials take care of their diet, hygiene, and medical fitness. In addition, they make sure healthy breeding to prevent their extinction. However, if they are allowed to live freely, people will kill them for their benefits. For example, animals like deer and wild goat are used as a source of the meat, elephant's teeth are used for medicinal purposes, and skin of the lion tiger is used to make leather products. Consequently, a lot of fauna will be endangered or may be extinct.

Secondly, animals kept is zoos are good for studies and research purposes. Many schools arrange zoo trips for the students to make them aware about the animal species and their food requirements. Moreover, zoologists conduct research on animals kept in zoo to understand their behavior and needs. For instance, numerous studies have shown that animals kept in zoo have longer life span than the animals that live freely.

In contrast, some people say that animals should be allowed to live, eat, and breed with freedom. According to them keeping them in a confined place is not justified ethically. Nevertheless, I believe that as far as confinement issue is concerned, it can be addressed by keeping the animals in spacious houses instead of small cages and allowing them time limited and supervised freedom.

In conclusion, although every living organism should have right to live freely, keeping animals in zoos are beneficial for humans as well as for animals, as they will get better food, protection, and medical assistance.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. You have provided relevant arguments regarding animal welfare and research, and supported them with examples such as poaching and educational zoo trips. The ideas are extended, though some points, such as the claim that animals in zoos have longer lifespans, could be further substantiated with more specific detail to reach a higher band. Overall, the argument is well-developed and the position is consistent from the introduction to the conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central theme, and you have used cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'In addition', 'Consequently', and 'In contrast' to link your points. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing, such as 'animals kept is zoos' (should be 'in') and 'the skin of the lion tiger' (which lacks a conjunction). Despite these small slips, the paragraphing is appropriate and the flow of the argument is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, including terms like 'extinction', 'zoologists', 'ethically', and 'confinement'. There are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'pretested' (likely meant 'protected') and 'time limited' (should be 'time-limited'). Additionally, 'used as a source of the meat' is slightly unnatural. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Expanding your use of less common lexical items and focusing on precise collocations will improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you successfully use complex sentences to express your arguments, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'animals are not needed to kept' (should be 'to be kept'), 'make sure healthy breeding' (should be 'ensure healthy breeding'), and 'keeping animals in zoos are' (should be 'is'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the frequency of these minor grammatical slips indicates that you have not yet achieved the level of control required for a higher band.

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

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