Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-27

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)

There's longer a necessity to keep animals in zoos, therefore zoos should be closed. This essay is in agreement with this statement, and the reasons are stated below.

Animals should not be kept in zoos as it's a sort of animal abuse. Putting animals in closed cages for people to see them, just so the zoo owners can earn money is clear animal abuse. Animals can not thrive in closed areas, and they might get shy or scared when surrounded by such a large amount of people. Putting an animal in a zoo cage is liking removing meaning from it's life. For example, lions in most zoos are kept in cages too small, which does not replicate how they live in nature. Therefore, it's clear animal abuse.

Animals are brought into zoo by capturing them in their natural habitat. Most of the time this capture of an animals is done in a very cruel manner. This results in severe pain and trauma to the animal. This practice may involve strangling the animals in ropes or chains, using weapons against them, or dropping heavy cages on them. All this practices are very risky when dealing with animals. Chimpanzees in nature are usually very alert and active. To capture them, they use all sorts of cruel practices, including traps. This makes capturing animals one of the most brutal exercise.

To sum up the above discussion, animals should not be kept in zoos, instead governments should push safari parks, while implementing a strict ban on zoos. Since zoos are very unhealthy for the animals, as they don't replicate their natural habitat, and brutal practices may be involved in capturing them.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by clearly stating an agreement with the closure of zoos. The main ideas—animal welfare and the cruelty of capture—are relevant. However, the development is somewhat repetitive. The argument focuses heavily on the negative aspects of zoos without considering potential counter-arguments or the educational/conservation roles of modern zoos, which limits the depth of the discussion. While the position is consistent, the supporting points could be more nuanced to reach a higher band. The conclusion introduces a new idea (safari parks) which is a positive step, but the overall development remains somewhat basic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. There is a logical progression from the introduction to the body paragraphs and the conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. For example, the frequent use of 'Therefore' and 'This' to start sentences makes the flow feel a bit stilted. Additionally, some transitions between ideas are abrupt. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall coherence of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks sophistication. There are some instances of imprecise word choice, such as 'brutal exercise' to describe the act of capturing animals, which is not a natural collocation. The repetition of words like 'cruel' and 'abuse' limits the range. While the meaning is always clear, the essay would benefit from a wider variety of topic-specific vocabulary related to conservation, ethics, and animal behavior to demonstrate a more flexible control of language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'There's longer a necessity' (likely meant 'no longer'), 'liking removing meaning from it's life' (should be 'like' and 'its'), and 'All this practices' (should be 'these'). These errors are noticeable and occur throughout the text. While they do not impede communication, they demonstrate a lack of control over basic grammar and punctuation, which prevents the essay from reaching a higher band score.

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

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