Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-24

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 6.5)

Some individuals believe that zoos are no longer necessary so they need to be closed. However, I disagree with this view because zoos are important in protecting wild animals and they also help students and researchers in studies.

Firstly, animals kept in a zoo can be monitored and therefore its easier to identify their needs. For instance, a zoo ranger during their normal routine check can realise that a certain animal is not feeling well. Therefore, they may call a vetenary to treat the animal. As a result, the animal will be protected and this may play a significant role to extinct species that are vulnerable to diseases because they will be looked after thus increasing their life span.

Zoos help students who study zoology. These learners need to study how animals are kept and how they breed. For example, a student may want to know more about white rhinos and the reason behind there decline. Zoos will be a better place to get this information because they also provide the history of animals and give further explanations of the animal's life. As a result, learners have equipped themselves with knowledge that can be beneficial in their career growth.

In conclusion, although most zoos have few animals and may be threatened to close down, they are still valuable to students and the few animals remaining. This might help in finding the solution to the declining numbers of wild animals because researchers may identify the problem and come up with a solution.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction: you disagree with closing zoos, and the two main reasons—animal protection and educational/research value—are relevant to the question. You support these with examples, such as a ranger noticing illness and a student researching white rhinos. The conclusion also returns to the value of zoos. This fully covers the task and shows some development beyond simply listing reasons. However, the first argument is not always clear: monitoring animals in captivity is linked to protecting endangered species, but the explanation of how this helps prevent extinction needs to be more precise. The educational point is also more developed than the research claim. Explain the benefits and limitations of zoos more fully to make the case consistently convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting separate reasons, and a conclusion. The progression is easy to follow, and signposts such as “Firstly,” “For example,” and “In conclusion” help readers recognise the stages of the argument. Cause-and-effect links, including “As a result,” also connect supporting details to the main points. At times, however, these links feel repetitive or do not make the relationship between ideas fully clear. For example, the move from an animal receiving treatment to “increasing their life span” could be explained more directly. Some references, such as “they” in the first body paragraph, could also be clearer. Varying transitions and making links between claims explicit would improve the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “vulnerable to diseases,” “breed,” “declining numbers,” and “career growth.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and some topic-specific terms help make the examples relevant. There are also several inaccurate or awkward choices that limit precision: “a vetenary” is misspelled and should be “a veterinarian,” while “play a significant role to extinct species” does not express the intended meaning clearly. “There decline” should be “their decline,” and “few animals” may not convey the intended point about endangered populations. Aim for more accurate collocations and precise wording, especially when explaining conservation. Proofreading spelling and possessive forms will also strengthen control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses with “because,” “although,” and “therefore.” Most sentences remain understandable, and the longer sentence about students studying zoology shows an attempt to explain a reason and its result. Some grammatical errors persist, however. In “its easier,” the contraction should be “it’s”; “a zoo ranger … can realise” shifts awkwardly to “they may call,” and “learners have equipped themselves with knowledge” uses an unsuitable tense and construction. The sentence beginning “As a result, the animal will be protected” also needs a clearer grammatical link to the preceding point. Review agreement, pronoun reference, and verb forms, and check punctuation around longer sentences to make your complex structures more controlled.

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