User-written IELTS example
Writing Academic Task 2 Band 9.0 Example
Original task prompt, user essay, band score, and related examples in the same report workspace.
Illustrative target band for this original model answer.
Plan your answer
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Ideas to explore
- Set ethical conditions for any permitted study: a significant potential benefit, no adequate alternative, and measures to minimise suffering.
- Compare alternatives such as human cell or tissue studies, computer simulations and analysis of clinical data, while noting that their usefulness depends on the research question.
- Distinguish limited, potentially valuable research from studies that cause serious suffering without a clear medical purpose.
Suggested structure
- Introduce the debate and state a qualified position.
- Explain when animal experiments might be justified and what limits should apply.
- Present alternatives and briefly discuss their current limitations.
- Conclude with a clear policy: last-resort use under strict safeguards, and a ban on cruel or unnecessary studies.
Useful vocabulary & examples
- a last resort
- An option used only when other suitable approaches are unavailable.
Animal testing should be considered only as a last resort.
- minimise suffering
- Reduce pain or distress as much as possible.
Researchers should follow procedures that minimise suffering.
- computer simulations
- Computer-based models used to represent or test processes.
Computer simulations may help researchers assess some effects of a treatment.
- a compelling purpose
- A strong and persuasive reason for doing something.
Experiments that cause harm should require a compelling purpose.
Task Prompt
User Essay Analysis
Review the public answer with report-style highlights.
It is claimed that animal experimentation should be prohibited due to its cruelty. However, others argue that animal experiments are attributed to significant scientific purposes and advancements. From my perspective, I believe that using animals for experimentation should be limited and replaced by several viable alternative measures, such as human-based research and computer modeling. On the ethical side, avoidable harm is a serious concern.
The ethical objection is that animals can be exposed to distress or harm without choosing to participate. Scientific interest alone does not resolve that concern. A study needs a clear purpose and a reason why the information is important, rather than an assumption that any new knowledge is sufficient. Repeating an avoidable experiment or using animals because a familiar method is easier would be difficult to defend.
Supporters argue that some questions concern interactions in a whole living system and may be difficult to investigate through a simple substitute. This is a rationale for careful scrutiny, not a guarantee that an animal result will apply to humans. A proposed study should therefore explain both its potential contribution and its limitations. The expected benefit must be considered alongside the harm, with independent assessment rather than the researcher's enthusiasm alone.
Alternatives should be examined first. Researchers may be able to use computer models, studies of cells or existing human observations to answer particular questions. These approaches have different strengths and limits, so none should be described as a universal replacement. Combining methods may reduce the need for animal use even where a single alternative cannot supply every relevant piece of information.
My position is that any remaining use should be limited in scope and subject to measures that reduce avoidable suffering. The search for alternatives should continue as methods develop. A claim that there is no other way must refer to the specific question, not be made as a permanent statement about all research. Scientific value and ethical responsibility need to be assessed together.
In conclusion, a limited justification is possible in carefully examined circumstances, but convenience is insufficient. Alternatives deserve priority and must be assessed realistically rather than either dismissed entirely or claimed to solve every research problem.
Targeted Improvement Tips
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