Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-22
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)
in today's rapidly evolving world, people are more aware about their health so that medicines and treatments instead of visiting their usual doctor. I believe that it is a positive development because today's people have a knowledge about all kinds of medicines and also individuals do not face financial problem.
One of the major positive development is that people have knowledge about all kind of medicines. This is because people become more knowledgeable due to learn about medicines. For instance, many student learn new skills from not only online but also read new books and they get more information about disease and they easily face an illnesses. As a result, people who know information about all kinds of medicines they never face problem.
Moreover, individuals who have not financially stable so that time they use alternative medicines and treatments instead of visiting their usual doctor. Such as, in rural area people are not able to give high prices of medicines so that they try to solve a problem by their self. Some alternative treatment such as, yoga, it may help people to reduce stress.
However, there are some negative aspects such as, people who do not have proper knowledge about medicines so that time if they take a wrong medicines, they will loss their life. Even people take overdose of any type of medicines it effect on their life even they get infection.
In conclusion, although take medicines without prescription is not good, but have a knowledge about any kinds of medicines and disease is good because it is help them in every situation.
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 discussing alternative medicine, but the development of ideas is inconsistent. While you provide reasons for your position, the arguments are often repetitive and lack depth. For instance, the point about 'knowledge' is stated multiple times without clear elaboration or specific examples. The conclusion is somewhat contradictory, as it acknowledges the dangers of self-medication while maintaining that having knowledge is sufficient. To improve, ensure each paragraph focuses on a distinct, well-supported argument rather than restating the same point. The position is clear, but the supporting evidence needs to be more analytical and less generalized to reach a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. Phrases like 'so that time' and 'such as' are used incorrectly, which disrupts the flow of ideas. The progression between sentences is sometimes disjointed, particularly in the second paragraph where the transition from 'learning new skills' to 'never face problem' is logically weak. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'in contrast') and ensure that pronouns and referencing words clearly point back to the intended subjects.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is limited and often repetitive, relying on basic terms like 'good', 'bad', and 'knowledge'. There are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'face an illnesses', 'not financially stable so that time', and 'loss their life' (instead of 'lose'). These errors occasionally make the meaning unclear. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise vocabulary related to health and medicine, and pay closer attention to word forms and collocations. Expanding your range of synonyms will help you avoid repeating the same words throughout the essay.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'many student learn'), incorrect verb tenses, and missing articles. Many sentences are structurally incomplete or awkward, such as 'people are more aware about their health so that medicines and treatments instead of visiting their usual doctor.' These errors are frequent and sometimes impede the reader's understanding. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like pluralization and verb forms before attempting more complex structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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