Should animals be used in testing new drugs and procedures?
Sample Response
Every year, millions of animals undergo painful suffering or death as a result of scientific research into the effects of drugs, food additives, cosmetics and other chemical products. While most people think animal testing is necessary, others are upset by what they see as needless suffering. This essay looks at some of the arguments for and against animal testingpositive and negative aspects of animal testing.
Many medical treatments and procedures have been developed throughfrom experiments on animals. Since animals share many features with humans, scientists use animals to test the safety and effectiveness of newly developed drugs before pilot testing on small groups of patients. Medical teams practice new operating techniques such as transplants on animals. Without animal testing, many new procedures or drugsmany procedures or new drugs would be extremely unsafe.
However, many people are concerned that animals are being subjected to unnecessary crueltysuffering unnecessarily and cruelly. They do not believe that every new drug needs to be tested on animals, especially with the extensive body of knowledgehuge database of knowledge and modern computer models. They are also worriedThey also are worried that many animal tests are ineffective, pointing out that someany drugs have had to be withdrawn from the market despite extensive testing. They feel particularly stronglyThey particularly feel that animal testing should not be used for non-essential products such as cosmetics, shampoos, soaps, and cleaning products. Furthermore, some campaigners would like to see certain tests replaced and more humane methods used.
We need to make sure that the millions of animals who are used for testing new products are treated with the least possible sufferingthe minimum of suffering. Although some animal testing may be unavoidable at present, treating our fellow creatures as humanelymercifully as possible will demonstrate our humanity.
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response is strongest in its balanced, clearly organised explanation of why animal testing can be useful and why its use should be restricted. Its main limitation is that the writer's own answer emerges only in the conclusion, while parts of the discussion extend to consumer products beyond the question's focus. The highest-priority improvement is to state a qualified position in the introduction and sustain it explicitly throughout.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response explores relevant benefits and ethical concerns and ultimately gives a clear qualified position.
State the position at the outset and keep the discussion centred more tightly on new drugs and medical procedures.
Coherence and Cohesion
The essay is easy to follow, with effective paragraphing and a logical movement from benefits to concerns and conclusion.
Use the introduction to signal the final qualified stance so the argument develops more explicitly from the beginning.
Lexical Resource
A strong range of topic vocabulary conveys medical and ethical ideas clearly, despite a few imprecise choices.
Correct slips such as 'any drugs' and choose more exact wording for reducing animal suffering.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses varied complex structures with generally strong control and only occasional minor awkwardness.
Refine adverb placement and collocations in sentences such as 'They also are worried' to improve naturalness.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Should animals be used in testing new drugs and procedures?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.