Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-30

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 7.0)

There are a multitude of impacts of modern lifestyles on people's health. Owing to the consumption of adulterated food and sedentary lifestyle, various health complications are increasing. Consequently, people have started seeking alternative medicines and treatments instead of visiting doctors. Although it is a positive sign that shows people's concern towards their health and trying new methods, I firmly believe that the drawbacks outweigh the benefits.

Admittedly, sometimes people get fed up with the prolonged routine check-up with their health care experts and seek for cheaper and quicker treatment methods, it may have repercussions resulting in unprecedented loss of efforts, money and health. In developing countries like Nepal, a significant portion of people from remote villages still visit witch doctors and believe in orthodox practices for curing their diseases. As a result, many of them died while the others still fighting for their lives.

People should definitely seek for alternative treatments like ayurvedic which has been a proven scientific method rather than going for orthodox practices like witchcraft. Likewise there are other methods which includes leech therapy, acupuncture, etc which can be tried when years of visiting doctors and spending huge penny do not prove to be fruitful.

Owing to incessant efforts of scientists, health care sectors have been witnessing number of positive developments. People should always emphasize their usual doctor for health examination as they are expert in their field. They have proven track of treating people, scientific knowledge and years of experiences which people can avail of.

To sum up, I am of the opinion that people should seek for alternative treatment methods only when years of visiting usual doctor do not prove to be beneficial.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have clearly stated your position that the drawbacks of alternative medicine outweigh the benefits. You address the prompt by discussing both the risks of unproven practices and the value of conventional medicine. However, the development of your ideas is somewhat uneven. While you provide a strong example regarding the dangers of witchcraft in Nepal, your discussion of alternative methods like acupuncture is a bit contradictory, as you acknowledge their potential value while simultaneously arguing against them. To reach a higher band, ensure that your supporting arguments are consistently aligned with your main thesis throughout the entire essay, and avoid suggesting that alternative methods are 'proven' if your overall stance is that they are a negative development.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. You use cohesive devices such as 'Consequently,' 'Admittedly,' and 'To sum up' to guide the reader through your argument. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are instances where the flow between sentences could be smoother. For example, the transition between the second and third paragraphs is abrupt. Additionally, the use of referencing could be improved; in the second paragraph, the phrase 'many of them died' lacks a clear antecedent, making the connection to the previous sentence slightly disjointed. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear, but the management of cohesive links could be more sophisticated.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'adulterated,' 'repercussions,' and 'unprecedented.' However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors. For example, you write 'seek for' (the verb 'seek' does not require 'for'), 'spending huge penny' (an incorrect idiom; 'spending a lot of money' or 'at great expense' would be better), and 'proven track' (should be 'proven track record'). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise control over collocations and idiomatic expressions to reach the higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this level. There are several grammatical errors, particularly with verb forms and prepositions. For instance, 'the others still fighting' should be 'the others are still fighting,' and 'emphasize their usual doctor' is incorrect usage; 'rely on' or 'consult' would be more accurate. Additionally, there are minor punctuation and article errors throughout the text. While these errors are noticeable, they rarely impede the reader's understanding of your message. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions with specific verbs.

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