Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-10

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Nowadays, a growing number of people with health problems are trying alternative medicines and treatments instead of visiting their usual doctor.

Do you think this is a positive or a negative development?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.0)

In today's generation, an increasing number of people with health related problems seeks an alternative route in finding treatment rather than going to health practitioners. I think this is a positive development especially for people who have a non-serious ailments as they will not spend a lot for expensive treatments in the hospitals.

Today, many people who have an underlying sickness opt to seek for alternative treatments and medicines. People find it more reliable and convenient in terms of financial expenses. There's a lot of over-the-counter drugs that are available to treat basic ailments.

I think this is a good development especially for families that are not well-off or priviledge enough to go to a hospital and have a decent treatment. There are a lot of non-serious sickness that can be treated effectively by alternative medicine with the help of alternative medicine doctors such as naturopathy, who dealt with natural healing from plants and natural resources. For instance, a patient suffering from indigestion can be treated by drinking an activated charcoal. I have experienced it myself, there was a time when I was pregnant with my first child, I felt a terrible pain in my belly and it keeps me very irritable, my mother gave a warm water with activated charcoal, I drank it and after 30 minutes I feel relieved.

In conclusion, alternative medicines and treatments lead to a positive development as it helps people to receive treatments even without going to a nearby hospital and spending a single penny.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear from the introduction: you consider alternative treatment positive, particularly for people with minor ailments or limited finances. You support this with examples of over-the-counter medicines, naturopathy, and your experience using activated charcoal. These are relevant and make the response personal. However, the discussion focuses mainly on affordability and minor conditions, while the prompt concerns people choosing alternatives instead of their usual doctor. You do not sufficiently consider the risks of delaying professional diagnosis or explain when alternatives may be unsuitable. The point about naturopathy is also asserted rather than evaluated, and the personal example does not establish that this treatment is generally safe or effective. Develop both the benefits and limits of your position more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion, and the main position is easy to follow. The example about your pregnancy gives the third paragraph a clear focus. However, progression is somewhat repetitive: the first two body paragraphs both restate that alternatives are convenient or affordable, rather than building distinct points. Linking phrases such as “Today,” “I think,” and “In conclusion” are clear but somewhat mechanical. The relationship between the general claim about alternative medicine and the personal example could be made more explicit, and the conclusion largely repeats the opening without adding a final qualification. Organise the body around separate reasons and connect each example directly to the claim it supports.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “underlying sickness,” “over-the-counter drugs,” “naturopathy,” and “natural healing.” These terms help communicate the subject, and the reader can understand your overall argument. There are, however, some inaccurate or unnatural choices and collocations, such as “alternative route in finding treatment,” “seek for alternative treatments,” and “a decent treatment.” “Priviledge” is also misspelled, and “non-serious sickness” is repeated rather than varied. Aim for more precise, natural phrasing and check spelling. For example, you could describe people as “seeking alternative treatments,” refer to “minor ailments,” and say that care is “affordable” or “accessible” rather than relying on broad expressions such as “a lot.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “naturopathy, who dealt with natural healing” and a conditional-style explanation of who benefits. Most sentences remain understandable, but some grammatical errors occur in agreement, articles, and verb forms. For example, “an increasing number … seeks” should use a plural verb, while “a non-serious ailments” has an article–number mismatch. In the personal example, “it keeps me” and “I feel relieved” do not maintain the past-time frame; “my mother gave a warm water” also needs a different article construction. Work on consistent tense in narratives and accurate singular/plural forms. More controlled complex sentences would also help you express qualifications and cause-and-effect relationships clearly.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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