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)

A large number of individuals. who are suffering from diseases are switching between medication and treatments more often rather than going to their personal doctor. This essay will discuss that despite this may improve the possibility of fast illness detection, it causes waste of time and money and worse physical condition.

One of the main drawbacks the frequent change of medicine and doctor result in financial waste as well as waste of time. After knowing about the diseases it is beneficial for the patient to follow the instructions. Rather doing this some people run from one doctor chamber to another. Therefore every time they go for a new doctor , the doctor gives taste and provide medicine. Doing this cost a significant amount of money and time. For instance- My father thinks he have a heart diseases. Though my family doctor told it is only a weakness but my dad switch multiple doctor as a result they give ecg and eco which waste a lot of money and the final outcome was same as my family doctor.

Another disadvantage of changing doctor is it can affect the recovery process because changing of doctor may was the crucial time of medication and may worsen the condition of the patient. For example, cancer can rapidly infected a person so late medication may cost a heavy consequences. Moreover, transportation stress also could have a negative impact.

To conclude, many men and women constantly change doctor and medicine to ensure quick recovery from illness. While doing this they often waste large amount of money and may increase the possibility of rapid growth of the disease.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear negative stance. The ideas are relevant, focusing on financial waste and the potential for worsening health outcomes. However, the development is somewhat limited. The example regarding the father is personal and relevant, but the explanation of why alternative medicine is chosen is underdeveloped. The essay would benefit from a more nuanced discussion of why people seek alternatives, such as a lack of trust in conventional medicine or the desire for holistic approaches, to provide a more balanced and comprehensive argument. The conclusion restates the position clearly, but the overall depth of analysis remains at a basic level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central idea. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'One of the main drawbacks', 'For instance', and 'To conclude', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'Rather doing this some people run...'. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. While the paragraphing is appropriate, the logical progression within paragraphs is sometimes hindered by grammatical errors that disrupt the reader's focus. Overall, the structure is coherent but lacks the flexibility and sophistication required for a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'doctor chamber', 'gives taste' (likely meaning 'tests'), and 'late medication'. The range of vocabulary is limited, relying on basic terms like 'waste', 'change', and 'bad'. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of more sophisticated or precise terminology prevents the essay from demonstrating a wider lexical range. To improve, the student should focus on learning topic-specific collocations related to healthcare and formal academic writing.

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. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('My father thinks he have', 'doctor gives taste'), incorrect verb forms ('changing of doctor may was'), and punctuation errors (a period used incorrectly in the first sentence). While the meaning is usually understandable, these persistent errors in basic grammar and sentence construction suggest a lack of control over complex structures. The student needs to focus on proofreading for basic errors and ensuring consistent subject-verb agreement and correct tense usage.

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