Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-27

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 4.0)

The growing influence problem are trying alternative to modern society has sparked various debates. This issue is particular significant its impact affects individuals and communities in multiple ways. In this essay, I will discuss positive and negative aspects of medicines and treatment and their implication for society.

One of the key benefits doctor has provide affect on medicine is that its provide some opportunities. Medicine have a long treatment. Some people not recommended long treatment. Many people recommended long treatment. When use herb treat and healthy life, herb treatment long benefits and herb no high budget.

Herb treatment very hazard. Herb treatment cost very low. Herb treatment should provide health life and no damage body.

However, despite the benefits in medicines treatment can also lead to significant challenges. For example, medicine half benefits and half harm.

The government should not medicine provide no good medicine for hospitals. Government provide a medicine big hospitals. Many people not buying high prices medicine.

But human not recommended medicine and recommend herbs medicine. Medicine English medicine very dangerous and very harm.

In conclusion, treatment instead of visiting their usual doctor provide significant advantage and noticeable challenge. Its impact depends on how effectively it is managed for society.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response4.0
Coherence and Cohesion4.0
Lexical Resource4.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy4.0
Overall4.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, reaching only 203 words. This significantly impacts the development of ideas. While the essay attempts to address the topic of alternative medicine, the arguments are underdeveloped, repetitive, and lack clear examples or logical progression. The position is not clearly stated or maintained throughout the essay. The content is fragmented, making it difficult to follow the writer's stance on whether this development is positive or negative. To improve, you must expand on your points with specific examples and ensure you meet the minimum length requirement to allow for full task development.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The essay lacks a clear logical structure. While there are paragraph breaks, the ideas within them are disjointed and often contradictory. Cohesive devices are largely absent or used incorrectly, such as the abrupt transition 'However, despite the benefits in medicines treatment'. The lack of clear linking words makes the progression of ideas difficult to follow. The conclusion does not effectively summarize the main points or provide a final thought. To improve, focus on using transition signals (e.g., 'furthermore', 'consequently', 'on the other hand') to connect your sentences and ensure each paragraph focuses on a single, well-developed idea.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary is very limited and repetitive. The writer relies on basic terms like 'medicine', 'treatment', and 'herb' throughout the text, often using them in ways that are not grammatically or contextually appropriate, such as 'medicine half benefits and half harm'. There is a lack of precision and a failure to use academic collocations or topic-specific vocabulary. Many phrases are awkward or unclear, which impedes the reader's understanding. To improve, you should expand your vocabulary by learning synonyms and collocations related to health and medicine, and practice using them in complete, meaningful sentences.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The essay contains frequent grammatical errors that often obscure the intended meaning. There are significant issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'medicine have a long treatment'), sentence fragments, and incorrect word order. The range of structures is very limited, consisting mostly of simple, error-prone sentences. There is no evidence of complex sentence structures. Punctuation is also inconsistent. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, ensuring that every sentence has a clear subject and verb, and proofreading for common errors like pluralization and verb tense consistency.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.