Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)
As population grows more health problems so people try to take alternative medicines and treatments instead of consulting with their doctor. As this might help to save the consultation charges or save the fuel cost but its harmful to take medications on your own because sometimes we don’t have enough knowlegde so chance of having wrong medication is high and it’s side affects which can end up people being in hospitals or in ICU which could cost you way more than a doctor’s consultation fees.
Additionally, taking medicines and treatments after consulting a doctor is safe because doctor are educated and hold a degree as they have experience to deal with the patients so they can guide proper and safe from causing any negative side effects on your health. Further more it’s good to visit doctor because they do overall checkup so if there are any other health problems they can tell you treatment for that aswell.
On the other hand taking alternative treatments may give temporary relief but it could cause its side effects in long term. Whereas taking alternatives instead of visiting doctor may help you treat better as you know more about yourself than a doctor or sometimes we might be unable to explain the problem to doctor so it’s better to treat it. Through alternatives which best suites us and our health.
The illnesses like cancer, covid or many other diseases can’t be treated by alternatives as they require proper check of the body and doctor prescribed medicines and treatments only.
Conclusively, taking alternative medicines and treatments instead of visiting doctor is negative or positive devgelopment depends upon various factors like the type of disease or illness like we don’t usually visit doctor for the flu or fever until its very high, it depends upon the availability of doctors and affordability too like under developed countries might not have good public hospitals and can’t afford to go on private hospitals or clinics so they use cheaper alternatives to treat themselves .
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the potential benefits and drawbacks of alternative medicine. However, the position is inconsistent; the essay oscillates between calling it a negative development and suggesting it is a necessity in certain contexts. While the ideas are relevant, they are not fully developed. For instance, the argument about 'knowing more about yourself than a doctor' is a strong point that lacks sufficient explanation or evidence. The conclusion attempts to balance the view but does so in a way that makes the overall stance unclear. To improve, ensure you maintain a consistent position throughout the essay and provide more detailed, logical support for each main point.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression within and between them is often weak. While some cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'Additionally', 'Further more', 'On the other hand'), they are sometimes used incorrectly or in a way that disrupts the flow of ideas. For example, the transition between the benefits and the risks is abrupt. Referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly in the final paragraph where the argument becomes fragmented. The use of paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the paragraphs lacks a clear topic sentence followed by supporting evidence, leading to a somewhat disjointed reading experience.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There is a reliance on basic, repetitive language (e.g., 'good', 'bad', 'treat', 'doctor'). Some word choices are imprecise or non-standard, such as 'side affects' (should be 'side effects') and 'best suites' (should be 'best suits'). There is little attempt to use less common lexical items or idiomatic expressions. To improve, focus on learning topic-specific collocations related to healthcare and medicine, and work on using more varied synonyms to avoid repetition.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede readability. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'doctor are educated'), missing articles, and punctuation errors, such as run-on sentences in the final paragraph. The use of complex structures is often faulty, leading to confusion in meaning. For example, the sentence 'Through alternatives which best suites us and our health' is a sentence fragment. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, ensuring subject-verb agreement, and proofreading for common punctuation errors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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