Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-24

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 8.0)

There is a growing trend among the public visiting ayurveda or other alternative medicals citing their effectiveness into solving their health issues in a non-invasive manner. While, there may be some truths to these beliefs, I take this as a negative development solely because of the absence of scientific backing as well as proper reports showing how such treatments actually work or be effective.

Although some people are preferring to see a substitute practitioner over a medical doctor, the advantages they have received through this as compared to visiting the latter professional is rather limited. Medical industry has its reputation because of the extensive regulated approach, where medicines or treatment methods are scientifically assessed to various scenarios and creatures before being tested on humans. On the other hand, these alternative institutes are based on some scriptures, without enough verifications on their working methods or effectiveness. endangering public health. Furthermore, such clinics are not even regulated properly and have a high degree of threats involving doctored degrees and fake practitioners.

In addition to that, with the growth in this trend, there may be a long-term shift in the public faith towards the traditional hospitals. If this were to occur, then people with cancer and those requiring chemotherapy may as well enquire alternatives and endanger their life even more. Since the trend is majorly based on social media influence and not the actual cases of success, people are being influenced to visit such places without thinking about who bears the responsibility if anything goes wrong. For instance, Nepal had a case in 2018, where a woman with an arterial blockage visited such alternatives and was subjected to some fire based therapy eventually losing her life from a heart attack. Since it is getting easier to influence people, earn money without having to bear any responsibility, this growing trend of alternative health practice is a negative development.

To sum up, with smooth talks, spouting spiritual words and massive influencer based advertisements, alternative medicines seem to be growing in popularity. However, I consider this to be a negative development because of non-existent or very little scientific evidences to back such practices. In addition, the lack of regulations and proper supervisions to monitor any misdoings in this sector can cause serious mishaps involving human health.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.5

The response fully addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the trend is negative. The arguments are well-developed, focusing on the lack of scientific evidence, the absence of regulation, and the potential for public harm. The inclusion of a specific example from Nepal adds depth to the argument. The position is maintained consistently throughout the essay, and the conclusion effectively summarizes the main points. The response is well-structured and covers all parts of the task comprehensively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central theme, and cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'In addition to that', and 'To sum up' are used effectively to link ideas. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. While some transitions are slightly mechanical, the overall flow is smooth and the reader can easily follow the writer's line of reasoning.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with precision. Phrases like 'non-invasive manner', 'scientific backing', and 'arterial blockage' show a good command of subject-specific terminology. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'alternative medicals' (should be 'alternative medicines') and 'spouting spiritual words', but these do not impede communication. The vocabulary is generally appropriate for an academic essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is good control over grammar, though some minor errors persist, such as 'While, there may be' (unnecessary comma) and 'evidences' (evidence is an uncountable noun). Despite these occasional slips, the majority of sentences are error-free, and the punctuation is generally handled well. The grammatical range is sufficient to convey complex ideas clearly.

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