Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-18

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)

Currently many people with health issues are prioritizing use of different medicines , therapies and treatments over consultation of their family doctor

It is true these days many people are prioritizing trying different method to recover from health issues instead of visiting their family doctor to get advice and treatment they are preferring different other things which is completely negative development in my opinion because it may affect person's overall health and it may become reason to occur various side-effects.

Doctors are professionals in their work they have experience and studied about health and disease so they can give you best advice for your body and treat you better than any therapy or medicine can because each tablet has it's own use and effect on bodies so it may not suitable for every person hence doctors gives us best and relevant medicines according to our situation. blindly following person who is not experienced in health and therapy or does not have enough knowledge of medicine can be very dangerous for health it can lead serious health issues and significantly affect person's body because every medicine has various kind of drugs in it taking it without doctor's prescription is very risky.

However, many people takes medicine during fever and cold when they do not have time and not access of doctor hence sometimes in emergency if doctor is not available at that time individual can rely on these normal low power medicine to get some relief and also prefer some therapies or home remedies to feel better.

Overall in my opinion it is very risky to preferring these kind of alternatives instead consoling doctor while if illness is not sever people can rely on it only if doctor is not available and after when doctor becomes available they must go for check up and explain them everything.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed the prompt by taking a clear position that the trend is negative. However, the development of your ideas is somewhat repetitive. While you argue that doctors are professionals, your explanation of why alternative medicine is dangerous remains quite general. The counter-argument in the third paragraph is a bit contradictory to your main stance, as it suggests that relying on alternative medicine is acceptable in some cases, which weakens your overall position. To improve, ensure that each paragraph introduces a distinct, well-supported point that directly reinforces your central argument without contradicting it.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical flow between sentences is often hindered by a lack of cohesive devices. Many sentences are linked by simple commas or run-on structures, such as 'Doctors are professionals in their work they have experience'. You rely heavily on basic conjunctions like 'and' or 'because'. To reach a higher band, you should use a wider variety of linking words and transition signals (e.g., 'furthermore', 'consequently', 'on the other hand') to guide the reader through your argument more smoothly and improve the overall progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and variety required for a higher score. You frequently repeat words like 'medicine', 'doctor', and 'health'. There are also some issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'not access of doctor' instead of 'lack of access to a doctor' and 'consoling doctor' instead of 'consulting a doctor'. To improve, try to incorporate more academic collocations and synonyms to express your ideas with greater sophistication and accuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a high frequency of grammatical errors, particularly regarding punctuation, sentence boundaries, and subject-verb agreement. For example, you often omit necessary articles ('the', 'a') and struggle with run-on sentences where two independent clauses are joined incorrectly. There is also a lack of complex sentence structures; most of your sentences are simple or compound. To improve, focus on mastering basic punctuation, such as using periods to separate distinct thoughts, and practice incorporating complex structures like relative clauses or conditional sentences to demonstrate greater grammatical control.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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