Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-25
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)
living in the rising information and awareness era, all kinds of alternatives are easily available in the market. It can be for the health issue, financial issue etc. However, there is big question mark on the effectiveness of these alternatives. When it comes to the health problems, i strongly disagree that people should never try any alternatives instead of visiting doctors.
Nowadays, people are became more health conscious and pay more attention to their physical and mental health. They go for the walking, running, yoga, exercise or different kinds of activities. It is good for health. But people treat it as an alternative solution for the health issues such as leg pain or back pain. It is not necessary that it will help to recover the pain. Many time such pain has different cause in the body. Due to lack of vitamins or minerals, health can be damage. It can be resolved only if the one visit a doctor. Because doctor do the check up, may ask some blood reports and find out the reason for the pain and then recommend the medicine.
Many time, such small pain may be a result of any major health issue in the body. For instance, if there is any crack in the bone, that part of body swell and pain started, if the one trying alternative medicine or other treatments instead of vising the doctor, this crack can be in increased and chances are there that it can cause life time breakage of bone. So, it is better to visit a doctor for any health issues.
In current scenario, everything is available on the social media, even alternatives of different health issues as well. Many time is works but there is always a trust issue remain in the mind. Because we never know the background of the one, who is suggesting the different alternatives. Many time it may cause danger issues such as sever allergies instead of resolving the problems. If have doctor advice, chances of rising in problems restricted and solution works better.
In conclusion, i would like to say that, trying alternatives are negative development especially when it come to health problems.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
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 somewhat repetitive and lacks depth. While you provide examples like 'leg pain' or 'bone cracks', the arguments remain focused on the dangers of self-diagnosis rather than exploring the broader societal trend of why people are turning to alternatives. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the underlying reasons for this shift—such as the high cost of healthcare or dissatisfaction with conventional medicine—and provide a more nuanced discussion that balances the risks with potential benefits, even if you ultimately reject them.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, each with a central theme. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive. For example, you frequently start sentences with 'Many time' or 'Because', which makes the flow feel somewhat stilted. Additionally, some transitions between ideas are abrupt, such as the jump from physical exercise to medical diagnosis in the second paragraph. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and phrases (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'in contrast') to connect your sentences and paragraphs more fluidly.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on basic phrasing such as 'big question mark', 'danger issues', and 'different kinds of activities'. There are also some noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'health can be damage' (should be 'damaged') and 'sever allergies' (should be 'severe'). To improve, try to incorporate more academic collocations and precise terminology related to health and medicine, and ensure you are using the correct word forms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the reader's flow. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('doctor do the check up'), article usage ('the one visit a doctor'), and tense consistency. For instance, 'if the one trying alternative medicine... this crack can be in increased' is grammatically incorrect and confusing. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, particularly the use of articles and verb tenses, before attempting more complex structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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