Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-09-18

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)

The claim, "We no longer need to have animals kept in zoos, so zoos should be closed." is too absolute to say. I firmly disagree with this statement beacuse there so many reasons to have zoos in cities, after nearly cutting down the habitat of animals, zoos are the only place left for their survival. My opinion and reasons are elaborated further.

Nowadays, there are so many forests which has been cutted down for the industrialisation in result to that many animals have lost their home and habitat. For those animals zoos are the home for them and in there they survive without any fear of death. In addition to that, the number of animals who are on verge of extinction are increasing rapidly. By the help of zoos we can save them for our future generation and we can nurture and protect them from extinction. For example, a Thylacine who was an australian tiger which was the most recent animal to be extinct, we can help this animals by taking care in zoos.

Furthermore, zoos are also beneficial to our society, if we do not build zoos then most of the abandoned animals will run to cities in search of food and can harm innocent civilians. However, most of the zoos charge very less amount for tickets but a very generous amount of money can be made from it and it is very halpfull for the economy of a country. For instance, a zoo in africa charges $2 per person but have received global price for most revenue generated zoo in world.

Overall, zoos are vital for animals and humas so we need zoos to keep animals protected in it and i firmly believe that we should keep building zoos and protect our animals for our future generation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student addresses the task by clearly stating a position against closing zoos and providing supporting reasons, such as animal conservation and economic benefits. The position is maintained throughout the response, and ideas are extended with examples, such as mentioning the Thylacine and economic impacts. However, the example of the Thylacine is factually inaccurate, as it is already extinct rather than currently being saved in zoos, which detracts slightly from the development. Additionally, the reasoning regarding stray animals running into cities is somewhat weak and under-developed. Despite these minor issues, all parts of the prompt are addressed adequately, placing the response solidly in Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The text is arranged into four logical paragraphs representing an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'In addition to that,' 'Furthermore,' and 'For instance.' However, some referencing and transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. For example, 'in there they survive' lacks precision, and the flow between sentences in the second body paragraph could be smoother. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct arguments, ensuring the overall progression remains clear to the reader, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptors.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range to communicate ideas relating to the topic, using terms such as 'industrialisation,' 'extinction,' 'nurture,' and 'economy.' However, there are notable word choice and spelling errors throughout the text, including 'beacuse' (because), 'cutted' (cut), 'halpfull' (helpful), and 'humas' (humans). There are also awkward collocations, such as 'receive global price' instead of 'global award or recognition.' While attempts are made to use less common vocabulary, the persistent mechanical errors and limited precision prevent the score from reaching a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some variety in structure. Examples include conditional and relative clauses, such as 'if we do not build zoos then most of the abandoned animals will run to cities.' However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly regarding verb forms ('has been cutted') and agreement ('there so many reasons'). Punctuation and run-on structures also occur, such as comma splices ('...globally price for most revenue generated zoo in world, and it is...'). These errors are noticeable and occasionally cause slight strain for the reader, though communication is not severely impeded.

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

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