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)
In today's world people eat unhygienic food in most of their diet. Despite increases a lot of health problems. Most of the individuals are relying on alternative medicines and treatments instead of visiting their usual doctor. This essay will discuss both benefits and negative impacts on health before explaining why i believe we should visit specialist doctors instead of relying on short-term solutions.
On the one hand, as technology evolves, and different AI tools are there for personal assistance. Where most of us use them for educational purposes and for advices or taking suggestions. Also considering this innovation for medical guidance and feels comfortable in the treatment prescribed by them. Further it provides a free of cost advice without wasting time for booking appointment before visit to doctor.
On the other hand, visiting specialist doctors are the most reliable option because they give their opinions by figuring out the root causes of problem and background history of particular individual. However ai-generated advices are giving basic or general solution to a problem Irrespective of their results. For example, if a individual faces headache, he may ask chatgpt, how to tackle this problem, it gives a general precautions and recommend panadol for a treatment. However gpt is not aware of root cause of headache and just prescribed the medicine, which may effect badly in longer term.
In my opinion, these advance applications may suggest short-term and instant solution to a problem but in a longer term they can not consider as a reliable and alternative to a specialist doctor who have a authorized degree and experience in particular field.
In conclusion, focusing on other alternatives for immediate solution of health problems may be good but for a proper cure a greater emphasis should be given to a authentic doctor.
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 discussing the trend of using alternative medicine, specifically focusing on AI tools. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you state your position clearly, the arguments regarding 'alternative medicines' are conflated with 'AI tools,' which is a narrow interpretation of the topic. The essay would benefit from a broader discussion of traditional alternative practices (like herbal medicine or acupuncture) alongside digital tools. The conclusion is clear, but the overall development lacks the depth required for a higher band, as the examples provided are somewhat repetitive and lack sufficient supporting detail to fully explore the implications of the trend.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand,' 'On the other hand,' and 'In conclusion' to signal the structure. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and there are instances where referencing is unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the subject of the sentences is missing or fragmented. The use of cohesive devices is adequate but lacks the flexibility and sophistication required for higher bands. Improving the transition between ideas within paragraphs would enhance the overall readability and logical progression of your argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'medical guidance,' 'root causes,' and 'short-term solutions.' However, there are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'feels comfortable in the treatment prescribed by them' and 'effect badly in longer term.' The range is somewhat limited, and you rely on basic vocabulary to express complex ideas. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing, particularly when discussing medical or technical concepts.
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 flow. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'doctors are the most reliable option' vs 'doctors... give their opinions'), sentence fragments (e.g., 'Despite increases a lot of health problems'), and incorrect article usage. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on sentence construction and proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy would be highly beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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