Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-11

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 6.5)

An increasing number of people nowadays are looking for alternative medical drugs and treatments rather than consulting their regular doctor for their health problems. I think that it is a negative development because people might be exposed to some serious health issues and other alternatives might be expensive.

To begin with, there are several drawbacks to this trend. First and foremost, the most significant drawback is that people will be exposed to some serious health problems. Their regular medical experts are better at knowing their problems, thereby medicines and treatments are prescribed according to their conditions. When they go to other doctor, initially the doctor is not aware of the problem and takes time to find out the main problem. This finding process takes a lot of time and it puts people in danger because of the absence of treatments and drugs. Also the alternative medicines and treatments might have some negative side effects, which leads it to a worse situation. For example, if a diabetes patient changes his regular doctor and visits other doctor who suggests him to try some treatments, which could be harmful for his heart and kidney.

In addition, looking for alternatives sometimes could be expensive. When a patient replaces his usual medical advisor and goes to other expert, the new doctor at first will ask him to do some regular tests, such as blood test, ECG, bloor pressure test, and urine test even if the patient alreday had these tests results. This involves significant medical costs and creates extra burden on the patient. For instance, when a kidney patient changes his usual doctor, the patient needs to do similar test again which is costly. That's why it is better to be treated by the same doctor.

In conclusion, while a significant number of individuals nowadays are trying alternatives for their health difficulties, I firmly believe that it is a negative trend since it involves serious health problems and creates extra financial burden on people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction to the conclusion: you consider the trend negative because it may endanger health and increase costs. Both reasons are relevant and supported with examples, including the diabetes patient and repeated tests for a kidney patient. This addresses the task and gives the reader a clear line of argument. To strengthen the response further, develop the health-risk point with more precise explanation: the claim that a new doctor takes time to identify a problem is broad, and the example does not explain exactly how the suggested treatment could harm the patient. You could also acknowledge that some alternative treatments may be useful when used alongside medical care, then explain why replacing a usual doctor remains risky. This would make the discussion more fully developed and nuanced.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay is organised clearly into an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting separate reasons, and a conclusion that restates your view. The progression from health risks to financial costs is easy to follow, and signposts such as “To begin with,” “In addition,” and “In conclusion” help guide the reader. Examples are placed in the relevant paragraphs, supporting the overall structure. Some linking is a little mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “For example” and “This,” and the final sentence of the second body paragraph repeats the point that it is better to stay with the same doctor rather than extending the reasoning. Use a wider range of natural links and make references more specific so the connections between claims and examples feel smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the argument, including “side effects,” “medical costs,” “extra burden,” and “prescribed according to their conditions.” However, the range is limited by repeated general terms such as “doctor,” “problem,” and “treatments,” and some expressions are not natural or precise. For instance, “alternative medical drugs” is an awkward phrase, while “other doctor” and “regular medical advisor” do not consistently express the intended distinction. There are also spelling errors in “bloor” and “alreday.” These choices do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision and control. Build a more varied set of accurate health-related collocations and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a reason clause with “because,” a relative clause in “side effects, which leads…,” and a participle construction in “thereby medicines and treatments are prescribed…”. Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors occur. For example, “When they go to other doctor” needs an article, and “if a diabetes patient changes his regular doctor and visits other doctor who suggests him…” has an unclear, incomplete structure. The clause beginning “For example, if…” is not a complete sentence, and “which leads it to a worse situation” has an unclear pronoun reference. Practise articles, complete conditional sentences, and clearer clause construction while retaining your attempts at complex structures.

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