Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-24

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)

A popular belief is zoos should be shut down because we do not need to keep animals in zoo. I disagree with the popular belief because I believe that the institution of zoo is a great educational program for young and adults in addition to the efforts to increase the population of extinct animals.

Zoo comprise of different animals including monkeys, chimpanzee, snakes, penguins, rhinos, and many more which is a great way to teach children about the animal kingdom. Many schools conduct a trip of early years to zoo because it is considered a fun and educational trip. Animals on the verge of extinction need a safe and controlled environment to reproduce and not be hunted which is provided by zoo. In Bahawalpur, a black buck enclosure restored the population of black bucks in the area.

Many people strongly advise against zoo because they believe keeping any living being in confinement takes away their freedom and disturb the order of the nature. A debate about keeping birds as pets is always surrounded by an argument because birds living style is supported by flying which is not possible in houses or zoo the way they would fly in nature. The institution of zoo only keeps a handful of each animal specie that they can take care of and serves the educational purpose to not affect the nature in any way.

In conclusion, many people have conflicting views regarding zoo even though I believe that the advantages zoo is providing by educating and restoring population of numerous specie that are about to be extinct is the reason to keep them open contrary to the popular belief.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have clearly stated your position in the introduction and maintained it throughout the essay. You address both the educational benefits and the conservation efforts of zoos, which directly answers the prompt. However, the development of your ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the example of the black buck enclosure is a good start, but it could be expanded to explain why this specific method is superior to other conservation efforts. To reach a higher band, ensure that each supporting point is fully explored with more depth and nuance rather than listing several points briefly.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'In conclusion' and 'In addition to', to link your ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical. For example, the transition between the discussion of birds as pets and the conclusion about zoos feels abrupt. Improving the use of referencing (e.g., using 'these institutions' instead of repeating 'zoo') and varying your linking words would help the text flow more naturally and improve the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'extinction', 'confinement', and 'animal kingdom' correctly. However, there are recurring issues with word forms and pluralization, such as 'animal specie' (should be 'species') and 'living style' (should be 'lifestyle'). Additionally, the repetition of the word 'zoo' throughout the essay limits your score. To improve, try to use synonyms or paraphrasing, such as 'wildlife parks', 'zoological gardens', or 'these facilities', to demonstrate a more flexible and sophisticated command of vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Common issues include subject-verb agreement, such as 'Zoo comprise' (should be 'Zoos comprise') and 'many people have conflicting views regarding zoo' (should be 'zoos'). There are also minor errors with articles and prepositions, such as 'trip of early years to zoo' (should be 'trips for young children to the zoo'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading of basic grammatical rules.

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

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