Some people say domestic animals, like cats, should not be reared in cities. Others say that such companion animals are beneficial to the community of a city. Which attitude do you believe to be correct?
Sample Response
We are living in a capitalist world where we spend a third of our days workingsell a third of our days in order to live during the rest. It is suggested by psychologistspsychology coteries that we are lonelier than ever and as a result of this, depression is now at unprecedented levels. As social creatures we need companions; however, itcompanions, however, it is now unarguably hard to find time to devote to our relationshipsspend for our relationships - and even worse for ourselves. In my opinion, this is the main reason people have petsreason for people to have pets since they don't judge you for not spending time with themallotting time for them; all you need to do is to feed and fondle them. However, some people believe that confining pets within walls is wrong and they should not be kept in houses. My personal view is that they are extremely beneficial especially to those who live aloneespecially to who live alone. First of all, as I stated previously, we are spending most of our timespending our times mostly at workat our jobs and we don't even have enough time for ourselves let alone our friends. Many people have difficulty maintaininghave hard times to maintain their relationships and friendships. As a corollary of this, we are now more alone. It is a known fact that lonely people are more prone to depression and suicidal thoughts. I feel that having a pet which can sit on your laplegs and let you let you stroke itfondle itself can alleviate negative feelingsdisperse all negative feelings. Secondly, taking responsibility fortaking a responsibility of someone or something matures people. You simply have something to care for and live for. In addition, pets can also replace having childrenreplace the babies for those who cannot have one. Therefore, they can also satisfy the desire to raise a childsatiate the need of bringing up an offspring and becomebeing parents. In conclusion, I feel that pets are good companionspets are a good companion for those who live alone especially for those who harbour depression and thoughtsthought of suicide. Their love and the responsibility of caring for themtaking their responsibilities can help people become more maturemake people grown-ups and improve their psychological well-beingcure their psychologies damaged by their lonely lives.
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response maintains a clear view that pets benefit city residents and develops companionship, emotional support, and responsibility as meaningful advantages. Its main limitation is scope: the discussion focuses almost entirely on individuals living alone and makes little connection to the wider urban community, while several claims are overstated. Prioritise community-level effects and support the mental-health benefits with measured, precise reasoning.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
A clear positive attitude is supported by several relevant individual benefits, but the implications for the city community and the opposing concern receive limited attention.
Explain how responsible pet ownership affects neighbours, social interaction, public spaces, or community wellbeing, while briefly addressing urban constraints.
Coherence and Cohesion
The argument progresses from loneliness to emotional support, responsibility, and conclusion, but the single paragraph and repeated references to isolation weaken organisation.
Use separate paragraphs for companionship and responsibility, with one clear supporting sequence in each.
Lexical Resource
The essay attempts a wide range of vocabulary, but strained or inappropriate expressions frequently reduce naturalness and precision.
Replace phrases such as 'psychology coteries,' 'disperse all negative feelings,' and 'cure their psychologies' with direct, measured language.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of complex sentences is used and meaning remains clear, though agreement, article, preposition, pronoun, and sentence-boundary errors recur.
Check forms such as 'people who live alone,' 'take responsibility for,' and 'thoughts of suicide,' and avoid comma splices.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people say domestic animals, like cats, should not be reared in cities. Others say that such companion animals are beneficial to the community of a city. Which attitude do you believe to be correct?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.