Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-14
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)
Health is an important of of life and human should focus on it but nowadays, an increasing number of individuals with health issues are trying alternative medicines and treatments instead of visiting their usual doctor. I think this is a negative development.
Regarding health issues, people thinks that it will be gone today or tomorrow and there is nothing to worry but this can also worsen the minor problem. Furthermore, some individuals start treating with themselves using different kinds of medical herbs. To illustrate this, in many villages people have learnt from their ancestors about curing the diseases and they apply same process for every issues, which makes them more ill.
Health system are established for better treatment, so public should not always try alternative medicine. If patients are in critical stage, they should be taken immediately to doctors. In addition, heart problems and eyes issues cannot be solved by alternative medicine. For example, if snake bites a person and people start using alternative medicines but patient have less time, in that case the person should be taken to doctors near by them because some snakes are poisonous.
In conclusion, I know there might be much alternative medicines for various types health issues but it is the matter of life and death , so people should not ignore their usual doctors. We already know that health is wealth from childhood, so every people should focus on their own health. There is always negative impact of alternative medicines, which also took many lives of the people.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| 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. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. While you provide examples like snake bites or village practices, the arguments lack depth and nuance. The essay would benefit from a more balanced exploration of why people turn to alternative medicine (e.g., dissatisfaction with conventional medicine or the desire for holistic approaches) before refuting it. The conclusion is a bit repetitive, and some points, such as 'every people should focus on their own health,' are somewhat vague and do not directly support the argument regarding alternative versus conventional medicine.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices like 'Furthermore,' 'To illustrate this,' and 'In addition,' which help the flow. However, the transition between ideas is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'they apply same process for every issues.' The logical progression is generally maintained, but the connection between the introduction and the body paragraphs could be smoother. Overall, the structure is sufficient to guide the reader through your argument without significant confusion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'health issues,' 'good,' and 'bad.' There are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'treating with themselves' instead of 'treating themselves' and 'health system are established' instead of 'health systems are established.' You attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary, but it is often repetitive. To improve, focus on using more precise academic collocations and avoiding simplistic phrasing to express complex ideas.
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 ('people thinks,' 'health system are'), article usage ('the snake bites,' 'the heart problems'), and awkward phrasing ('there might be much alternative medicines'). While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. You should focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and pluralization, as these are recurring issues throughout your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.