Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-07
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)
Many people think that in recent years, an increasing number of people suffering from medicine and treatments rather than visiting their usual doctor. I believe that, this is a negative development because the lack knowledge and superstitious it brings the individuals in a serious situations of health problems, where they will die, and it makes science fake.
On the one hand, todays, people are more depend and using local treatments because they believe on superstitious, and people will die and create violence in the society. For example, one of my relative believes in this, and she refused to visit doctor when she was suffering with serious disease called T.V, after few months she died, and her families fought and created violence in the society in the name of zeus and their religious god. In there, became violence between two caste and religion. So, it is one of the big negative impact and development.
One the other hand, lack of knowledge also a negative development because most of the places there are uneducated peoples were living and they don't know about the health problem and they are dying. The greedy of money also, they use alternative medicines and treatments. For instance, one of my uncle relative are uneducated and they all the time when they suffered from health issues, they tried alternative. But, one the one of the family member got serious disease, and instead of going hospital they tried that and he die because the lack of knowledge.
In conclusion, I believe that people have to get knowledge and nerve depend on superstitious.
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 taking a clear position that the trend is negative. However, the development of ideas is limited and often repetitive. The arguments regarding 'superstition' and 'lack of knowledge' are presented, but the supporting examples, such as the mention of 'T.V' (likely tuberculosis) and the subsequent societal violence, are somewhat tangential and lack logical connection to the core issue of alternative medicine. The essay would benefit from more focused, relevant examples that directly illustrate why alternative treatments are ineffective or dangerous compared to conventional medicine.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which is a positive feature. However, the progression of ideas is often disjointed. Cohesive devices are used, but they are frequently misused or mechanical, such as 'In there, became violence' or 'In conclusion, I believe that people have to get knowledge and nerve depend on superstitious.' The referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the logical flow of the argument. Improved use of linking words and clearer sentence structures would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The range of vocabulary is limited and often inaccurate. There are frequent errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'suffering from medicine' instead of 'suffering from illnesses' and 'nerve depend' instead of 'never depend'. The vocabulary is basic and repetitive, which restricts the ability to convey complex ideas effectively. To improve, you should focus on learning topic-specific collocations related to health and medicine, and pay closer attention to the correct usage of words in context.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains frequent grammatical errors that often impede communication. There are significant issues with sentence structure, such as the opening sentence which lacks a main verb ('Many people think that... an increasing number of people suffering...'). Subject-verb agreement is inconsistent, and there are errors with articles and prepositions throughout the text. While there is an attempt to use complex sentences, these are often faulty. A focus on mastering basic sentence construction and subject-verb agreement is essential for improvement.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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