Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-09-29

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)

It is often argued by some people that keeping animals in zoo is no longer a need, so they should be closed. Although, some people might disagree with the statement, I completely agree. Not only because it do psychological harm and fails in conservation of a specie but also because it is a prison, not a home.

With more public awareness, people are becoming aware of problems of keeping animals in a zoo. Firstly, these creatures are often subjected to psychological stress. As wild creatures need a big space to survive because it is their natural ecosystem but keeping them in small places make them stressed. Take an example of a survey conducted in a zoo in Spain, where 80% of zoo animals show stereotypic behaviors like pacing, bars biting and self mutilation. Thus, keeping animals in a space which is 100 times smaller than their natural ecosystem subject them to psychological stress.

Secondly, the zookeepers often fail to take care of every animal present there so most of the time a specie which is considered endangered become extinct due to the irresponsibility of zookeepers. As most captive animals lack survival skills so they can't be released in the wild. For instance, a rare specie of a wild cat died in a zoo in Indonesia and the zookeepers thought that they can find a new one but they realized that this was the last individual of that specie. Hence, the caretakers in the zoos are not able enough to conserve a specie.

Finally, keeping wild animals behind the bars is ethically not correct. They need a pretty much space to survive. As their ability to hunt make them feel free and powerful but keeping them as a pet or in the zoo just for the sake of showpiece is both ethically and morally wrong. It is seen that the caged animals often live a shorter life.

To sum up, I believe that zoos are no longer a need. Not only because they provide incorrect information about the wild beasts as their life style is totally different in forests and they show behavioral issues but also because they fail to conserve a specie.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear, well-developed position that agrees with the closure of zoos. The writer supports their argument with relevant ideas concerning psychological stress, conservation failures, and ethical considerations. The introduction clearly states the writer's stance, and each body paragraph explores a distinct supporting point with examples, such as the survey in Spain. However, some arguments tend to over-generalize slightly, particularly regarding the general incompetence of zookeepers, which places the response comfortably at Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear overall progression with a logical arrangement of ideas. Each paragraph has a clear central topic introduced with transitional phrases such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Finally'. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate distinct arguments. Cohesive devices are generally used appropriately, though referencing occasionally feels a bit mechanical (e.g., repeating 'specie' instead of pronouns). Overall, the organizational structure is sound and maintains coherence throughout the response, meeting Band 7 descriptors.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision, using terms like 'psychological stress', 'stereotypic behaviors', and 'ethical considerations'. However, there are notable word choice and spelling inaccuracies, such as using 'specie' instead of the correct singular 'species', and phrases like 'able enough' or 'bars biting'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with mixed success, placing the vocabulary profile clearly at a Band 6 level due to these recurring lexical and morphological errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating conditional ideas and relative clauses (e.g., 'As wild creatures need a big space...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('it do psychological harm', '80% of zoo animals show... a specie which is considered endangered become'), missing articles, and awkward phrasing ('caretakers in the zoos are not able enough'). While these errors do not impede communication, they persist across the essay, preventing the grammar score from reaching Band 6.5 or 7.

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