Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-16

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 highly controversial issue today relates to the new generation of community want to treat their illness by trying alternative medicines and treatments instead of visiting their family doctor. I am going to examine this question from both points of view and then explain why I believe its totally negative development.

At the outset, there are several reasons why youth don't like to go visit doctors for checkup, one of the primary reasons is if their classmates or other friends got to known that the particular person is weak or having any health issue they will not call him/her nor be friends by saying u sick u cannot play with us or u will make us also effect the illness u are suffering from. for instance according to science cough and cold is spread by when one person is suffering from that and comes in contact with the other by using their handkerchief or by shaking hand, so other children do not behave properly with him or her or even don't sit beside also. Even cough and cold is treated at home but if it serious and more than 6 to7 days need to contact doctor for solution.

Conversely, few health problems are not treated with home medicine or by using alternative treatment. Though new generation is not understanding the things and starting the things very lightly which can results to serious health issues. Such condition like dengue should be treated in hospital only or else it leads to dead in this case no alternatives use to solve the proper treatment must be given to the child. The real base example in Bihar 21 year old boy suffering from cold, cough, and fever since 10 to 12 days and he was living away from family in hostel due to lack to information about condition he was suffering took few medicine which was high dose, now his right side body is completely paralyzed.

From my perspective , trying alternatives for health problems is not good things because without information or sufficient knowledge to the growing nation is very imperfect methods to treat any problems.

Ultimately, if the condition is in under control still each and everyone has to do regular checkup weather they are infants, toddlers, teenagers, adults or elder every generation have to be safe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that alternative medicine is a negative development. However, the development of ideas is inconsistent. The first body paragraph focuses on why youth avoid doctors due to social stigma, which is only tangentially related to the preference for alternative medicine. The second paragraph provides a more relevant example regarding the dangers of self-medication, but the narrative is somewhat anecdotal and lacks a broader analytical perspective. The conclusion is brief and does not fully synthesize the arguments presented. To improve, ensure that every point directly supports the central argument regarding the risks or benefits of alternative treatments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression is often disrupted by awkward phrasing and unclear transitions. For example, the transition 'Conversely, few health problems are not treated...' is confusing, as it does not clearly contrast with the previous paragraph. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often mechanical or misused, such as 'The real base example in Bihar'. The referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the flow of arguments. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would significantly enhance the coherence of the writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and often repetitive. There are frequent errors in word choice and collocation that occasionally impede meaning, such as 'make us also effect the illness' instead of 'infect us' and 'leads to dead' instead of 'leads to death'. The student attempts to use some academic vocabulary, but it is often used incorrectly, such as 'growing nation' to refer to young people. To reach a higher band, the student needs to focus on using more precise terminology and improving their grasp of collocations related to health and medical topics.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a high frequency of grammatical errors, including issues with subject-verb agreement, article usage, and sentence structure. Many sentences are run-on or fragmented, such as 'Even cough and cold is treated at home but if it serious and more than 6 to7 days need to contact doctor for solution.' Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing commas and incorrect capitalization. While the student attempts complex sentences, these are often faulty, leading to a lack of clarity. A focus on basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors would be beneficial.

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