Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

In recent years, the increasing number of patients with health issues trying out alternative medicines and treatments instead of going to their regular doctors has been a topic of discussion. In my opinion, it is a positive development, particularly because, it gives patients access to a wide range of better treatment and highly skilled medical practitioner options.

One of the major advantages of it is the availability of multiple highly skilled doctors according to one's medical condition. When people have many options, they do not stick to average skilled specialists. They can easily change their doctor as per their preference. For instance, when i was struggling with persistent hormonal acne, i changed my dermatologist after a few month as i was not satisfied with this prescription. Soon after the change i could visibly notice a better result, indicating sometimes alternative options can bring better outcomes. Moreover, many health issues can be cured through different methods like Yoga, which conventional practitioners do not suggest. This way patients can have multiple options to choose from.

Another positive aspect is the knowledge about forms of treatment. People looking for alternative treatment options do their own research about their health issues, medicines, cures, prices, any possible side-effect of the treatments, which helps them to take a more informed decision based on their financial affordability and medical accuracy when doctors suggest them something. Meanwhile, patients who visit conventional doctors are mostly unaware of these and take decision with knowing available options. For instance, one may invest a fortune in a treatment which has cheaper options elsewhere.

In conclusion, I think trying alternative health care is a positive development because of the knowledge about multiple forms of treatments and better quality doctors options, while visiting usual practitioner can limit the access to better heath treatment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt clearly, maintaining a consistent position that the trend is positive. You have provided relevant reasons, such as the ability to choose specialists and the benefits of patient research. However, the development is slightly uneven. For instance, the argument regarding 'alternative medicines' is somewhat conflated with the idea of 'switching doctors' or 'seeking second opinions.' While you mention Yoga, the essay focuses more on the freedom to choose conventional doctors rather than alternative medicine itself. To reach a higher band, ensure your examples and arguments are more tightly aligned with the specific definition of 'alternative medicine' (e.g., herbalism, acupuncture) rather than just general medical consumerism.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme. You use cohesive devices like 'One of the major advantages,' 'For instance,' and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, some transitions are a bit mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For example, the link between the first body paragraph's focus on 'skilled doctors' and the second paragraph's focus on 'research' is clear, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs occasionally feels repetitive. Overall, the progression of ideas is easy to follow, and paragraphing is used appropriately.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'persistent,' 'dermatologist,' 'conventional practitioners,' and 'informed decision.' There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'better quality doctors options' (should be 'options for better quality doctors') and 'take decision with knowing available options' (should be 'make decisions while knowing'). While you attempt some less common vocabulary, the phrasing is occasionally slightly unnatural. To improve, focus on more precise collocations and ensure that your word forms are consistently accurate in a formal context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'i' (should be capitalized 'I'), 'after a few month' (should be 'months'), and 'take decision' (should be 'take decisions' or 'make decisions'). Additionally, there are minor punctuation issues, such as the unnecessary comma in 'particularly because, it gives.' While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher band. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, pluralization, and consistent capitalization, and try to incorporate a wider variety of complex grammatical structures with greater accuracy.

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

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