Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-09

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)

Recently, there is a increase in number of people who are using alternative drugs rather than going to the doctor for treatment of their health problems. I believe it is a negative development, as self-medication could be harmful and make their disease even worse.

People who are suffering with any sort of disease or a medical condition need to be very careful about their therapeutic interventions. They should not use any alternative medicine without advice of a healthcare professional, because they decide the appropriate drug formula with a correct dose according to the patients' age, weight, or comorbidities. Any alternative medicine or treatment used could be dangerous, if it is not consistent with any of the aforementioned factors.

In addition, people do not know which drug can react with another drug and produce an end product that would be harmful for them. In contrast, doctors take history of the patients, to check if they are using any other drug at the time, and prescribe the treatments accordingly. For instance, numerous studies have reported that a lot of individuals die every year due to changing their medicines without informing their doctor.

Besides that, patients under treatment need a constant evaluation to analyze the progression of disease. As many diseases are cured or may be progressed after some time, based on that doctors decide to increase or decrease the drug concentrations. Self-medication could affect the body organs, including kidney and liver, if the dose used were higher in the concentration than the prescribed one.

In conclusion, I believe that people should not change their medicine without asking their usual doctor, because it could slow down the treatment of their disease and even can negatively effect their overall well-being.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response clearly addresses the prompt by taking a firm stance against the use of alternative medicine. The position is consistent throughout the essay. The ideas, such as the risk of drug interactions and the necessity of professional monitoring, are relevant and logically developed. However, the essay could be improved by providing a more nuanced discussion; for instance, acknowledging why some people might turn to alternative medicine before refuting it would demonstrate a more sophisticated level of task response. Overall, the main arguments are well-supported with clear reasoning and examples, meeting the requirements for a Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph focuses on a central theme, such as the danger of incorrect dosages or drug interactions. Cohesive devices like 'In addition,' 'In contrast,' and 'Besides that' are used to link ideas effectively. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow, which aligns with the criteria for a Band 7.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally appropriate and sufficient for the task. You use terms like 'therapeutic interventions,' 'comorbidities,' and 'progression of disease' effectively. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'a increase' (should be 'an increase') and 'negatively effect' (should be 'negatively affect'). While you demonstrate an ability to use topic-specific vocabulary, the range is not yet wide enough or sufficiently precise to reach the Band 8 level. The errors present do not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'advice of a healthcare professional' (missing 'the'), 'take history of the patients' (missing 'a'), and 'if the dose used were higher' (should be 'is'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not prevent the reader from understanding your argument. To improve, focus on article usage and subject-verb agreement. The control of complex structures is present but inconsistent, which is characteristic of a Band 6 performance.

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