Plan this positive or negative essay about environment with the ideas and outline below, write it on a 40-minute timer, then compare it with a band-8 model answer.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Zoos and wildlife parks are keeping endangered animals in captivity so that they do not become extinct.
Is this a positive or negative development?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
GoPrep wrote this practice question in the style of the exam. It is not an official IELTS question.
Pick two or three points from one or both columns. You do not need all of them, and your own examples score better than memorised ones.
Spend the first few minutes planning, then write.
0 words of 250 minimum
Your answer stays on this page only. Copy it before you leave.
Write your own answer first, then compare: how it answers the exact question, what each paragraph does, and which phrases you could borrow.
Zoos and wildlife parks are keeping endangered animals in captivity to prevent their extinction. In my view this is a positive development, but only when zoos meet high standards of welfare and have genuine conservation goals.
The benefits are substantial. Breeding programmes in zoos have rescued several species that had almost vanished in the wild; the Arabian oryx and the California condor, for instance, survive today largely because they were bred in captivity and then released. Zoos also fund research, support protection projects abroad and treat injured animals. Moreover, they educate millions of visitors, especially children, who may develop a lifelong interest in nature and a wish to protect it after seeing animals up close, something that documentaries cannot always achieve.
On the other hand, critics raise legitimate concerns. Many animals, such as elephants and big cats, need large territories, and small enclosures can cause stress, boredom and abnormal behaviour. Only a small proportion of captive animals are ever returned to the wild, and some zoos are accused of focusing on entertainment and profit rather than conservation. There is also an argument that money spent on keeping animals in cages would be better used to protect their natural habitats, which is where the real threat to wildlife lies.
These objections show that zoos should be controlled carefully. Governments and independent inspectors should enforce strict rules on space, diet and enrichment, and zoos should be required to contribute to habitat protection and reintroduction programmes. Those that fail to do so should be closed.
In conclusion, well-run zoos play an important part in preventing extinction and educating the public, so I consider them a positive development, provided that high standards are enforced.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| endangered species | animals at risk of dying out |
| captive breeding | breeding animals in controlled places |
| extinction | complete disappearance of a species |
| wildlife conservation | protecting wild animals |
| natural habitat | animals' home in the wild |
| poaching | illegal hunting |
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