Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-12

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)

It has been observed currently, that due to increasing health issues the number of individuals are trying other methods and medicines instead of visiting doctor.

I persume that the benefits of these precautionary action would surpass its drawbacks to a major extent. From my prespective it's a partial development according to the individual behaviour's.

Examining the brighter side of it is that the individuals seriously take steps according to their health as the medicines have the side affects on body. That's why they limit the use of it and prefer other teatments like herbs and by using basic things. For instance if someone have the issue of stomach or acidity individuals prefer green tea or use carom seeds which helps in relief. In addition ancient traditional cupping therapy which is a benefical treatment .Moreover, it does not have any side effects of human body.

On the other hand, if patient have some allegic issues to elements of herbs than it is not promoted to use other ways or first consult their doctors. For instance if a patient has heart issue then he does not use any other treatments or medicines without a doctor's advicce because it may have a serious impact on his health and may lead to heart attack.

To conclude, there are both merits and demerits of using alternative medicines and treatments. However, i believe that not using medicines is more adventageous because medicine directly impact our stomach and kidneys. However we should try to cure our illness basically by house remedies .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the question by presenting a qualified view: alternative treatments may be useful, but people with serious conditions should consult a doctor. The examples of green tea, carom seeds and heart problems are relevant and help illustrate both sides. However, your position is not fully clear or consistently supported. Calling this a “partial development” does not directly establish whether you consider it positive or negative, and the conclusion shifts towards avoiding medicines and using home remedies. The claim that cupping has no side effects is also too broad and is not explained. To strengthen the response, state a clear overall judgement and develop the reasons with more careful qualification, especially when discussing risks and benefits.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph presenting benefits, a contrasting paragraph about risks, and a conclusion. Linking expressions such as “For instance,” “In addition,” and “On the other hand” help signal the direction of ideas. Overall, the reader can follow the main argument. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. The opening of the benefits paragraph, “Examining the brighter side of it is that,” is awkward, and the relationship between limiting medicines and choosing alternative treatments could be explained more explicitly. The conclusion also repeats the merits-and-demerits framing before introducing a somewhat different claim. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each example directly to the point it supports.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “alternative medicines,” “side effects,” “traditional cupping therapy,” and “heart issue.” These terms make the subject clear, and examples such as “green tea” and “carom seeds” add specificity. However, the range is limited in places, and several inaccurate or unnatural choices reduce precision: “precautionary action” does not fit the meaning, “basic things” is vague, and “cure our illness basically by house remedies” is not idiomatic. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “persume,” “prespective,” and “adventageous.” Build a more precise vocabulary for discussing treatment and risk, and check spelling and collocations so that your meaning is consistently clear.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a conditional example beginning “if a patient has heart issue” and a reason introduced by “because.” This shows some range, but control is uneven, and errors sometimes make sentences difficult to interpret. For example, “the number of individuals are trying” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “if someone have the issue” and “if patient have” contain errors in verb form and article use. The sentence about cupping is also incomplete: “a beneficial treatment” needs a complete clause. Work on agreement, articles, and complete sentence construction, and use punctuation to separate ideas. More accurate control of these patterns would make your argument easier to follow.

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.