Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-08

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 6.0)

Trying medicines from alternative doctors instead of their regular visiting doctors, has become so prevalent among the patients, these days . Although this phenomenon has some positives, its negative side cannot be overlooked.

Following factors make it look like a positive development .Perhaps the most prominent one is that patients think trying alternatives medicines can bring more effective results . Sometimes people get unsatisfactory experiences with the treatment given by their usual doctor. Therefore, they try to explore and give a chance to another doctor with a hope of more effective results. Moreover, another factor can be the financial issues. In other words, sometimes the usual doctors are not pocket friendly enough; hence, patients look for some alternative options that can be less expensive.

Nevertheless, this tendency also brings some disadvantages too . The prominent one relates with life threatening effects . In simple words, taking medication from alternative doctors can take a death toll on their life because every doctor has a different way of treating patients and experimenting such treatments on their body is not a good decision so far. Last but not least, usual doctors know the body conditions, health issues and other details closely which let them have a better control over their bodies while treating them; however, patients changing different doctors frequently lacks this factor and end up with a more complicated health condition at the end.

In conclusion, although it seems feasible to try on alternative medicines hoping better results and less cost, it is never a wise decision to compromise the life just for the sake of some money and hope.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both sides of the argument and maintains a clear position throughout. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of financial concerns and the importance of medical history. However, the development is somewhat superficial. For example, the point about 'life threatening effects' is mentioned but not fully explained or supported with a concrete example. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific illustrations or evidence to support your claims. The conclusion effectively summarizes your stance, ensuring the task requirements are met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. You use cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Nevertheless', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally repetitive. For instance, the phrase 'The prominent one' is used twice in a similar way. Improving the variety of your linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the flow and coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'prevalent', 'phenomenon', and 'feasible'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'pocket friendly enough' (which is informal) and 'take a death toll on their life' (which is an incorrect usage of the idiom). To improve, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and ensuring that collocations sound natural in a formal context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'patients changing different doctors frequently lacks this factor' (subject-verb agreement) and 'experimenting such treatments on their body' (preposition usage). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with unnecessary spaces before commas and periods. Increasing the frequency of error-free complex sentences and proofreading for minor grammatical slips will help improve your score in this criterion.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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