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 recent years, an increasing number of people with health issues are exploring new ways for treatments and healing techniques apart from visiting their assigned health caretaker. I firmly believe that moving towards modern medication and treatments is largely anegative development because these treatments or medication is not tested by science, apparently it can become dangerous if it included toxic substances.

Firstly, doctors give medicines that are tested in labs for many years to make sure they are safe and effective. Alternatively, natural remedies like special herbs do not have real scientific proof, these products are not checked by the authorities and in making these do not have a proper measurement for the ingredients. For example, Anyone can take the wrong amount or swallow something harmful that reacts badly and make their health conditions even worse.

Secondly, avoiding a doctor can delay the treatment and lead to serious illness. When people try to cure their long lasting pain or old health issues with remedies it can make things even worse. In other words, someone who feel tired all the time starts taking herbal teas instead of getting a blood test and when the condition gets worse he might be diagnosed with a serious disease.

In conclusion, while simple natural medication might help people relax for a short time but completely missing out the visits of doctor is a bad idea. I definitely believe relying on proven science and trained doctors is the safest way to protect our health in the long term.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction: you regard replacing a usual doctor with alternative treatments as negative, and the conclusion reinforces this view. Both main reasons are relevant: remedies may be unsafe, and relying on them may delay diagnosis. The examples about an incorrect dose and someone using herbal tea instead of having a blood test help make these points concrete. This meets the task well, though the development is uneven: the safety point is explained more fully, while the delayed-treatment example could clarify how a doctor’s assessment would change the outcome. Also, the opening refers to “modern medication,” which conflicts with your argument against alternative treatments. Make the distinction between conventional and alternative medicine precise, then extend each reason with a clearer explanation or example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your view, two body paragraphs present separate reasons, and a conclusion restates your position. “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “In conclusion” make the progression easy to follow, and the examples are placed under the relevant points. This is a coherent arrangement, although some linking is mechanical and a few connections are unclear. For instance, “Alternatively” does not clearly express the contrast intended between doctors’ medicines and herbal remedies, and “In other words” introduces an example rather than a restatement. The conclusion’s “while” clause also needs a clearer connection to the main claim. Use transitions that express the exact relationship between ideas, and make references such as “these products” unambiguous.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range to discuss health and treatment, including “scientific proof,” “toxic substances,” “herbal teas,” and “serious disease.” These choices help communicate the central argument, and some less common expressions show an attempt to be precise. However, several word choices or combinations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “assigned health caretaker,” “new ways for treatments,” and “missing out the visits of doctor.” “Modern medication” also gives the opposite impression to the argument you intend. These issues do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and naturalness. Prefer established collocations and use the same clear terms—such as “conventional doctor” and “alternative remedies”—consistently throughout.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a reason clause with “because,” a conditional example beginning “When people try…,” and a contrast in the conclusion. The main ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur and occasionally make relationships less clear. For example, “these treatments or medication is” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “someone who feel tired” needs agreement between the subject and verb. The sentence beginning “Alternatively, natural remedies…” joins two independent clauses with only a comma, and “while simple natural medication might help…” is an incomplete contrast clause as written. Review agreement, clause boundaries, and complete sentence structure; these corrections would make your varied sentences more controlled.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.