Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-10
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)
Nowadays, it has become a growing concern for people with health problems are trying different kinds of medicines and treatments without any advices from professional doctors. It can help to cure, if we know the specific reason behind the illness and take medicines advised by family members, friends or on internet who have experienced the same health problems, but it is not a wise idea if we do not know as it could worse situation.
As the technology developing rapidly, internet users started to search different types of problems and question that they face everyday. For instance, health, many people go write the symptoms that they have to find the specific health problems like flu, headache, or knee pain and more. On the one side, this could help to relieve the pain or even recover. On the other side, this also could worsen your health. Because, if we get the wrong information and drink intended medicine, it would lead to more serious disease in the future as some chronic illness have same symptoms with a minor health problems. For instance, diabetes could be seen as just an extreme thrust. Therefore, this is not always reliable.
It is better to be cautious and visit doctors, instead of believing strangers’ words. Because, if one person had a cancer and believed it was a minor health problem, it would worsen their health in long-term. Therefore, we should always visit doctors to protect us from life-harming health issues.
In conclusion, it is a negative development that people with health problems are trying alternative medicines and treatment without any professional advice, because this can affect detrimentally on the patients’ health. Therefore, i believe that visiting doctors is the most reliable choice for anyone feeling discomfort.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the trend is negative. The ideas are relevant, such as the risks of misdiagnosis and the danger of relying on non-professional advice. However, the development is somewhat limited. The argument relies on repetitive points about the internet and misdiagnosis, and the examples provided (e.g., diabetes and cancer) are a bit simplistic. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the underlying reasons why people turn to alternative medicine—such as the high cost of healthcare or dissatisfaction with traditional methods—to provide a more nuanced and comprehensive discussion.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. There is a discernible progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as the repetitive use of 'Therefore' and 'Because' at the start of sentences. Additionally, some transitions between sentences are abrupt, which affects the flow. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that referencing (e.g., 'this', 'these') is more precise would help the essay read more naturally and improve the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their opinion clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'detrimentally' and 'cautious', but there are also instances of imprecise word choice or awkward phrasing, such as 'drink intended medicine' or 'life-harming health issues'. Some collocations are slightly unnatural, which occasionally hinders the sophistication of the argument. To improve, focus on learning topic-specific collocations related to medicine and health, and ensure that words are used in their correct grammatical context.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'As the technology developing rapidly') and article usage. Some sentences are structurally incomplete or awkward, such as 'it could worse situation'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency. Increasing the variety of complex structures and proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy would significantly improve this score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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