Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Most of the people with health problems nowadays, take alternative medicines instead of seeking a professional.In my opinion it is completely negative development and if someone does not want to see doctor, then prevention is better than cure .

Consulting witha professional doctor is the best way to deal with any health problem, by starting with your medical history, he will run up some tests, to identify the main cause of your health problem, which is a proper way. For example, if a person has frequently headaches, but instead of meeting with a doctor, he keep trying alternative medicines which will not help, but will lead to bigger problem in the long term.

Some people take alternative treatments by thinking they will save some money, but ends up giving more to the doctors, because the prescription they take by themsleves also have side effects which can make bigger problems for them and in the end they have to consult with a professional.In my opinion, if a person identify the cause of the problem then the best solution is to remove the cause. For example, if a person is smoking and have lungs problem then the best solution is to quit smoking, and he will soon notice the change in his body.

By trying different medication by themselves, people are doing more damage to their health. The best solution is to eliminate the cause of the sickness or consult with a good doctor which will advise them and will give them proper treatment which wil help them cure.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear from the opening: you consider the growing use of alternative medicine a negative development, and the response stays focused on health risks and the value of professional advice. The examples about recurring headaches and smoking help make your reasoning relevant. However, some points are asserted rather than fully explained. For instance, you say self-prescribed treatments can have side effects and lead to greater costs, but you do not explain how this commonly happens or distinguish potentially useful complementary care from replacing a doctor’s treatment. The smoking example also shifts toward prevention rather than directly showing why alternative treatments are harmful. Develop each example with a clearer link to your central judgement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction states your view, two body paragraphs give reasons and examples, and the final paragraph restates your recommendation. This makes the main line of argument understandable. Some connections, however, are mechanical or unclear. The repeated pattern “For example, if a person…” gives the paragraphs a list-like feel, while “Some people take alternative treatments by thinking they will save some money, but ends up…” does not clearly connect its subject to the verb or explain the contrast. The final paragraph largely repeats earlier advice instead of drawing the reasons together. Use clearer topic sentences and more varied links, and make each paragraph advance a distinct part of the argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate your position, including “alternative medicines,” “medical history,” “side effects,” “prescription,” and “treatment.” These terms show relevant awareness of the subject. However, the range is limited by repeated general words such as “problem,” “person,” and “solution,” and several collocations or word forms are inaccurate: “run up some tests,” “bigger problem,” and “remove the cause” are not natural in these contexts. Spelling errors such as “themseleves” and “wil” also reduce control. Aim for more precise expressions—for example, “carry out tests,” “a more serious condition,” and “address the underlying cause”—and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including conditional structures such as “if a person is smoking…” and clauses introduced by “because” and “which.” The meaning is generally recoverable, but errors in sentence construction and control occur across the response. Examples include “Most of the people… take” with an unnecessary comma, “if a person has frequently headaches” with incorrect word order, and “he keep trying” with subject–verb disagreement. There are also problems with articles and sentence boundaries, as in “does not want to see doctor” and the run-on construction beginning “Consulting witha professional doctor…” Work on accurate basic sentence patterns, agreement, articles, and punctuation before adding more complex clauses; this will make your ideas easier to follow.

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