Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-01

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)

Majority of citizens suffering with health problems were using alternative medicines and treatments instead of visiting their usual doctor. Form my point of view, It is very dangerous and negative development. Two arguments to support my opinion is written below in detail.

Firstly, some people do these kind of stupid things to save money. They does not visit doctor when they are suffering from any disease or they have any health problem and they use wrong medicines and try treatment by own to save money. They think they will save money in this way but they to have spent more money when they suffer from any infection after using wrong medicines. Let's me show you an example of myself, Once i got a cut on my leg while playing a football match. I try to cure my wound by own without using write spirit. Even, i use dirty cotton to clean my wound. I do this stupid thing to save money but after that i got serious infection and i have to give more money to doctor. I decided to avoid this thing next time.

Secondly, It is very dangerous to over health. Not only for health it also make us physical weak. it cause many infections and it also affect over internal organs. use of wrong and alternative medicines produce another different diseases that's are very dangerous. Let's me show you an example of close friend Ali, about two months ago he felt pain in his head for saving his money and time he take tablet form his mother medicines instead of visiting doctor and after that he became serious. Doctor said that the tablet he use increased his heart beat and he is still in hospital. That kind of treatments does not make any sense.

To sum up, we should avoid wrong medicines and have to use only those medicines those are recommended to us form over doctor.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that alternative medicine is a negative development. The ideas are relevant, focusing on financial risks and health complications. However, the development is somewhat limited. The examples provided, such as the personal anecdote about a leg wound and the friend's experience, are anecdotal rather than analytical. While the position is clear, the arguments could be more sophisticated by discussing the broader implications of alternative medicine versus evidence-based practice. The conclusion is brief and restates the position, but it lacks a summary of the main points discussed.

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. For example, 'Let's me show you an example' is used twice, which is repetitive and unnatural. The transition between ideas is sometimes abrupt, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'That kind of treatments does not make any sense.' While there is a logical progression from the introduction to the body paragraphs, the flow is hindered by the lack of varied linking words and phrases.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and often repetitive. Phrases like 'stupid things', 'wrong medicines', and 'save money' are used frequently. There are also noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'over health' instead of 'our health' and 'physical weak' instead of 'physically weak'. The student attempts to use some topic-specific vocabulary, but the range is insufficient to express complex ideas with precision. Spelling errors, such as 'form' instead of 'from' and 'write' instead of 'white' (spirit), further detract from the overall quality.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay relies heavily on simple sentence structures. There are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('They does not visit', 'it cause many infections') and incorrect verb tenses ('were using' instead of 'are using'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with several run-on sentences and misused commas. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of basic grammatical errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Complex structures are attempted but are almost always faulty.

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