Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-06
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 current scenario, a large number of individuals with health issues are trying alternative medicines and treatments rather than visiting their usual doctor. While this trend offers certain advantages, I believe that it also brings some drawbacks, making it both a positive and a negative development at the same time.
On the one hand, trying alternative medicines and treatments instead of visiting doctors can be a positive development because it saves a large amount of the consultancy fees. It is beneficial for those with the lower income group. For example, an individual whose annual income is below poverty line may try alternative medicines instead of wasting money on consultancy fees. Moreover, by following this opinion may reduce the risk of side effects of medicines, if alternatives are herbal treatments. Nowadays, medicines have a lot of side effects, these can be reduced if an individual tries ayurveda instead of the one prescribed by the doctors.
On the other hand, there are several consequences of this trend. Firstly, an individual's health can be more critical. If the proper treatment is not provided on time, then a person may die. For instance, health issue such as headache can be a symptom of many disease, if advice is not taken from a doctor then disease might go to more severe stages. Furthermore, this might lead to increase the risk of another health problems. If a person try another medicine without the doctors' advice, then it might damage the organs of the body. For example, if expectant mother takes any medicine without the advisory of doctor, then it may affect her child.
In conclusion, trying alternate medicine without visiting doctor helps in saving money and might reduce side effects, it also creates challenges such as risk of death and organs injury. Therefore, I would consider this trend as a positive and a negative development according to the person.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing a clear position that the trend is both positive and negative. The ideas are relevant, such as cost-saving benefits versus health risks. However, the development is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding herbal treatments reducing side effects is asserted but not fully explained or supported with specific evidence. Similarly, the point about 'expectant mothers' is a strong example, but the overall development remains a bit superficial. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your points with more detailed explanations or nuanced examples to demonstrate a deeper understanding of the topic.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. There is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', 'Moreover', and 'Furthermore'. However, some of the linking is a bit mechanical, and there are instances where the flow could be smoother. For example, the sentence 'If a person try another medicine without the doctors' advice' lacks a smooth transition from the previous sentence. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate, and the logical structure is easy to follow throughout the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'consultancy fees' and 'expectant mother'. However, there are also some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'In current scenario' (should be 'In the current scenario'), 'wasting money on consultancy fees' (a bit informal), and 'advisory of doctor' (should be 'advice of a doctor'). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Expanding your range of collocations and refining your word choice would improve this score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'by following this opinion may reduce' (incorrect subject-verb structure), 'if a person try' (subject-verb agreement error), 'increase the risk of another health problems' (pluralization error), and 'the one prescribed' (vague reference). Punctuation is generally functional, but the frequency of these grammatical slips means that the majority of sentences are not error-free. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles and plural forms.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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