Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-05

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)

In the contemporary world, an increasing number of individuals are opting for traditional therapies and treatments instead of conventional medicines. While I believe traditional medicines are highly effective for everyday ailments, it is very dangerous when it comes to modern illnesses that require a specific pharmaceutical treatments.

Minor health issues can be solved by traditional ways like using herbs, and massages, A person faces many sorts of diseases (like flu, fever, and minor pain) that are not much severe and can be treated by herbal medicines or by having an oil massage. Traditional medication uses natural ways to deal a health problem so it does not have much side-effects on patient's body. For instance, a person who uses herbs to deal fever will be recovered slowly because natural things effect slowly but will be recovered better with no addon of new diseases. That's why patients should transition to ancestral healing practices in order to deal minor diseases.

However, relying only on alternative therapies for severe diseases is dangerous. The natural medicine effects slowly and cannot effect on each type of pathogen. The modern problems like viruses, cancer, and diabetes) require specialized pharmaceutical medications and sometimes also require a surgery to be operated. For example, a patient suffering from cancer cannot be treated by mixture of some herbs but requires the latest technologies to monitor and medications or surgeries to treat.

In conclusion, completely relying on either traditional or conventional is a bad choice. It must be chosen according to type and severity of disease because traditional methods are slow effecting and unable to solve modern diseases but should be used to solve regular ailments

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly presenting a balanced view that alternative medicine has a role for minor ailments but is insufficient for severe conditions. The position is consistent throughout. Ideas are relevant and supported with examples, such as the mention of herbs for fever versus the need for surgery for cancer. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited; the explanation of why natural remedies are 'slow' or 'better' could be more deeply explored to reach a higher band. Overall, the response is well-focused and meets the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'However', 'For instance', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader. However, there are some instances of slightly mechanical or repetitive transitions. Referencing is generally clear, though some sentence structures are a bit simplistic, which occasionally affects the flow. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two sides of the argument, contributing to the overall coherence of the piece.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to express ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'pharmaceutical', 'pathogen', and 'ancestral healing'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'addon of new diseases' and 'natural medicine effects slowly' (where 'effects' is used as a verb instead of 'affects'). While these errors do not impede communication, they limit the range and precision of the language, preventing a higher score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb forms and articles (e.g., 'deal a health problem' instead of 'deal with', 'mixture of some herbs' instead of 'a mixture of herbs', and 'the type and severity' missing an article). Punctuation is also inconsistent, such as the comma splice in the second paragraph ('...herbs, and massages, A person...'). These errors are noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points.

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