Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-06

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)

Zoos should be closed because we don't need to reserved animals in zoos anymore . The essay agrees with the statement because animals are not protected by the authorities at zoo and they are failed to take care of them as required . There are different animals which are dangerous to kept , so zoos should be closed .

Today , hunting animals and keeping them in zoos become so commom in the world that people are now using animals as a source of income for them . They hunt animals kept them in cage , not taking enough care and failed to provide food to them which causes death of certain animals . For Instance , In recent survey to zoos in different countries claims that the animals were not provided enought food which has caused malnutrition in them .

Despite that , there are certain animals which should not be kept in zoos because they are dangerous and can cause harm to people and children for example . lion and tigers . Moreover , zoo keepers may not be able to handle dangerous animals someday then they might run out of cage could attack a children or visiters . For instance : It was reported that a tiger run out of cage in thiland and attacked a zoo keeper but , fortunetely he was saved .

To conclude , it would be beneficial to closed zoos for the safety of animals as well as humans because both are causing harm to each other in certain ways .

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task partially by presenting a clear position agreeing that zoos should be closed, supported by reasons such as animal welfare issues and public safety risks. However, the ideas remain somewhat limited and under-developed. For instance, the point regarding animal exploitation for income and malnutrition is introduced with a general mention of a survey, but lacks specific elaboration or deeper analysis. Similarly, the argument about dangerous animals escaping, illustrated by the example of a tiger in Thailand, is briefly touched upon without fully exploring the broader implications of wildlife management. To reach a higher standard, the writer needs to extend and support all main arguments with richer details and clearer explanations rather than relying on generalized assertions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a clear attempt at organisation with a four-paragraph structure comprising an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, the overall progression is sometimes hindered by mechanical or inadequate cohesive devices and abrupt transitions, such as starting the second paragraph with 'Today' and the third with 'Despite that'. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, as seen in the ambiguous pronoun usage and repetitive sentence openings. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion lacks smooth logical links between sentences. To improve cohesion, the writer should employ a wider and more accurate range of linking words to guide the reader seamlessly through the progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey basic points about animal safety and zoos. There are noticeable lexical errors in word form, choice, and collocation that cause some difficulty for the reader, such as 'reserved animals' instead of 'preserve', 'commom' instead of 'common', 'kept them in cage' instead of 'cages', and 'thiland'. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary items, such as 'malnutrition' and 'fortunetely', but spelling and morphological inaccuracies remain frequent. To achieve a higher band, the student must expand their lexical repertoire and ensure greater precision in word choice, word formation, and spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The text displays a limited range of structures, relying mostly on simple sentences alongside attempts at complex forms that are frequently faulty. There are recurrent grammatical errors in verb forms, tense consistency, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions, including phrases like 'animals are not protected... and they are failed', 'dangerous to kept', 'a tiger run out', and 'to closed zoos'. Punctuation errors, such as spaces before commas and periods, are also noticeable throughout the text. While the meaning remains generally understandable despite these frequent errors, the lack of error-free complex sentences prevents the writing from moving into higher bands. Improving control over basic grammatical patterns and complex clause structures is essential.

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

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