Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-09-17
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 often argue that zoos are no longer necessary and should be closed in the future, because animal do not have enough space for walk around to nature. I parially agree with this view because some zoos do not provide suitable conditions for animals, while well - managed zoos can contribute to awerness about nature and education to children who have greater interested in wildlife. The reason for my stance will be elaborated in the following paragraph.
On the one hand, there are many reasons for no longer need to build zoos for animals. Some zoos shold be closed because keeping animals in small and uncomfortable environment can negatively affect thier natural behaviour. Animals such elephant, lions and tiger need large to move, hunt for food and live freely. In some poorly managesd zoos, they may suffer from stress and insufficient treatment against any type of serious health issues. For example, an elephant kept in small environments may not have enough space to walk and interact naturally with other elephants, which can affect its physical and mental well-being.
On the other hand, I consider that well managed zoos can still be useful to provide advance facilities to every animals and support wildlife conservation. They can protect endangered species through surgery, provide medical treatment and educate people about animals protection by conducting seminars in different cities. For example, Vantara in Gujarat provides specialised care, treatment and rehabilitation facilities for rescued and injured animals, showing how a modern animals-care centre can contribute to animals willife.
In conclusion, I patially agree that zoos should be closed, but well managed zoos create jobs for vetanaries doctor who have excessive amount knowledge about animals.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student addresses all parts of the prompt, taking a balanced, partial stance on whether zoos should be closed. The position is clearly stated in the introduction and maintained throughout the essay. Main ideas are presented, such as the negative impact of small enclosures on animal welfare balanced against the educational and conservation benefits of well-managed facilities. However, some ideas are slightly under-developed or generalise rather than being fully extended with deep reasoning. For instance, the mention of Vantara is a relevant, specific example, but the surrounding arguments could have been pushed further to reach a higher band level. Overall, the response fulfills the task requirements adequately, earning a Band 6.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a recognisable introduction, body paragraphs addressing opposing sides, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used logically to separate distinct viewpoints. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand', though referencing and transitions are occasionally mechanical or slightly repetitive (e.g., repeating similar transitional structures). Paragraph transitions and logical progression are generally clear, but some internal cohesion within sentences feels slightly disjointed due to grammatical errors. Overall, the organizational structure satisfies the requirements for Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'rehabilitation facilities', 'endangered species', and 'specialised care'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, including 'patially' instead of partially, 'awerness' instead of awareness, 'thier' instead of their, 'managesd' instead of managed, and 'vetanaries doctor' instead of veterinary surgeon. These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score to a Band 6.0, as the frequency of slips prevents the control expected at Band 7.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over multi-clause structures (e.g., 'because some zoos do not provide suitable conditions for animals, while well-managed zoos can contribute...'). However, there are frequent grammatical and morphological errors, such as missing pluralisations and articles (e.g., 'animal do not have enough space for walk around to nature', 'Animals such elephant, lions and tiger', 'small and uncomfortable environment'), as well as tense and agreement inconsistencies. While these errors rarely impede overall communication, they occur frequently enough to preclude a higher band, placing the response firmly at Band 5.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.