Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-21

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)

Nowadays it is not necessary to keep an animal in zoo and it should get closed. I totally disagree with the statement because zoo protect an endangered species and educate people about the wildlife.

Zoo should not get closed because it gives a protection to endangered animals. This is to say that zoo provides a safe environment to animals and protect the species that have been threatened by wild. In addition, zoo should organise breeding programs. This is because it will help to increase the population of endangered species. For example, endangered animal such as Pandas, their population has been decreased significantly and many zoo are organising the breeding events to protect them.

Another reason is zoo provides education to people. many visitors visit to zoo, to understand the animals closely and gets the information about their habitats. Zoo provides the education to the tourist about the endangered animals and aware people to understand the importance of protecting these species. For instance, many schools and institutes visit in zoos with their children, so students could learn about wildlife and the importance for protection of these animals. Therefore, i strongly disagree with the sentence that zoo should be closed because it gives the protection to the threatened animals from wild.

In conclusion, I totally disagree that the zoo should no longer should be opened because zoo protect endangered species and provides education to visitors about the importance for saving the species.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by clearly stating a position against closing zoos. However, the essay falls short of the 250-word minimum requirement, which negatively impacts the development of ideas. While the main arguments regarding conservation and education are relevant, they are somewhat repetitive and lack depth. The conclusion is also quite brief and mirrors the introduction too closely. To improve, you should expand on your examples—for instance, by explaining how specific breeding programs have successfully prevented extinction—to ensure a more thorough development of your arguments and to meet the length requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'In addition,' 'For example,' and 'Therefore' to link ideas. However, the flow is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally repetitive. For example, the phrase 'zoo should not get closed' is used repeatedly, which makes the writing feel a bit circular. To reach a higher band, try to vary your transition words and ensure that each paragraph builds upon the previous one with more sophisticated logical progression.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'endangered species,' 'breeding programs,' and 'habitats.' However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is noticeable repetition of basic words like 'zoo,' 'animals,' and 'protect.' To improve, try to incorporate more varied synonyms and collocations. For instance, instead of repeating 'protect,' you could use 'conserve,' 'safeguard,' or 'preserve.' Additionally, ensure you use the correct form of words, such as 'awareness' instead of 'aware' in the context of educating the public.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('in zoo' instead of 'in zoos'), subject-verb agreement ('zoo protect' instead of 'zoos protect'), and tense consistency. There are also some awkward phrasings, such as 'should no longer should be opened.' To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and article usage. Proofreading for these small errors will significantly enhance the accuracy of your writing and help you achieve a higher band score.

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

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