Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Nowadays Many individuals who suffer from health problems do not like going to see doctors instead they buy medicine which they see that other peopl use and it work for their illness. In my own opinion this is not a positive development, in ancient times there where healers and this healers attend to sick payoent or people suffering from different health conditions, over the years this healers are advance due to research they have carried changes they have seen and alteration they have made to make medicine more safe. Doctors are a grouo of people who spend and dedicate their life in saving humanity they yave been bounded by a oath to save all lives, and they have been thought how to take care and administered medication to sick and also take of them. unlike the traditionalist who just mix herbal drugs without the right dosage and sell just because it is effective. As a pharmacologist, i will advice visiting a doctor than going for alternative medication because there are some diseases that have similar symptoms the changes that might differ them can be so sligt that it can not be seen with humans eyes. Such differences can be at risk to the lives of the individuals that is why scan and microscope in health system is very important. Alternative medicine is not ideally, going for cheaper medication because it have same action will not solve the problem. it is better you spend your money buying that drug that will stop the spread of a bacterial, than buying a drug that will hybernate yhe bacterial and later on the bacterial will be awake and be more immune to that drugs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you consider replacing a doctor with alternative treatment a negative development. You support this with relevant points about doctors’ training, the risks of incorrect dosage, and diseases that can share symptoms; the example about a bacterial infection also helps explain the potential consequences. This addresses the main question and shows some development beyond simply stating an opinion. However, the discussion of historical healers is not clearly connected to the comparison with modern alternative medicine, and the claim that doctors are bound by an oath is asserted rather than explained. To strengthen the response further, develop each reason in a more precise sequence and clarify how your examples demonstrate the risks of choosing alternative treatment over medical advice.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a discernible line of argument, moving from your position to doctors’ expertise and then to risks associated with alternative medicines. Some linking phrases, such as “that is why” and “because,” show relationships between ideas. However, the writing is presented as one long paragraph, so the reader has little help distinguishing the main points. Several ideas are joined together without clear transitions, particularly the discussion of historical healers, doctors’ training, and diagnostic technology. The final example also introduces bacterial resistance without a clear link back to the preceding point. Use separate paragraphs for your position and main reasons, and make each paragraph develop one central idea with clear references and transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “health conditions,” “dosage,” “symptoms,” “pharmacologist,” and “bacterial.” These choices show an effort to discuss medical issues specifically rather than relying only on general language. However, inaccurate spelling and word choice sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow, as in “payoent,” “sligt,” and “hybernate.” Some expressions are also unnatural or imprecise, such as “traditionalist” for providers of traditional remedies and “same action” for a medicine having the same effect. Aim for accurate, natural collocations and check spelling carefully, especially for technical terms. More precise vocabulary would make your medical examples clearer and more convincing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, including a conditional idea about spending money on a drug and a relative clause in “people who suffer from health problems.” This gives the response some structural variety. However, many sentences contain errors in sentence boundaries, agreement, articles, and verb forms, which can make relationships between ideas unclear. For example, “this healers attend” and “it have same action” show agreement problems, while the opening joins separate clauses without appropriate punctuation. The sentence beginning “Doctors are a group of people” also becomes difficult to follow because several clauses are connected without clear structure. Practise building accurate sentences first, then combine them using controlled subordinate clauses and correct punctuation.

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