Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-02
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 the contemporary era, many individuals are growing with health issues. People are trying to overcome their problems, they are taking numerous different types of medicine and treatments instead of visiting their doctor clinic. In my view, this is a completely negative trend because they are affecting their health without professional consultancy.
On the other hand, people are suffering from health problems and they only take a medicines, they do not go clinic for proper treatment, This is because many individuals think that they can easily recover from their health problems owing to they do not visit hospitals and clinic. As a result, they can face several health issues in the future if they do not take the right decision in time. Furthermore, sometime individuals addicted the medicines because they do not consult with health professionals. Consequently, disease are becoming more big problems after some few years its spread in entire body. To illustrate, 67 years old man lived in America, once a day they felt cold, but at that time they only take medicine and they did not pay-attention. As a consequence, when he went to the hospital they suffering from Tuberculosis. Therefore, people should not take medicine own knowledge firstly they should ask to doctors.
On the other hand, people are spending their money on medicine and treatments, they do not take right step. Thus they can face a lot of challenges about their health.
To conclude, people are taking the medicines without doctors consultancy and it is affecting their health and wasting their money on wrong tablets. From my perspective before take the medicine they should ask to doctor and professionals for right guidance.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the trend is negative. However, the development of ideas is limited. While you provide a reason (lack of professional advice leading to health risks), the supporting example of the '67 years old man' is somewhat vague and lacks sufficient detail to fully illustrate the point. The argument is repetitive, particularly in the second and third paragraphs, where the same points about wasting money and avoiding doctors are restated without adding new depth. To improve, ensure each paragraph introduces a distinct, well-supported idea rather than repeating the same core argument.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the logical progression is hindered by repetitive phrasing and a lack of varied cohesive devices. You rely heavily on basic connectors like 'Consequently' and 'Furthermore', and some transitions are misused, such as starting the third paragraph with 'On the other hand' when it does not introduce a contrasting point to the previous paragraph. Additionally, the referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the flow of your argument. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would enhance coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You use basic terms like 'big problems' and 'take medicine', which are repetitive. There are also errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'doctor clinic' instead of 'doctor's clinic' or 'consultancy' when 'consultation' would be more appropriate. Some phrases are awkward, such as 'individuals addicted the medicines'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and collocations, and avoid repeating the same basic words throughout the text.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'disease are becoming'), incorrect preposition usage, and missing articles (e.g., 'go clinic'). There are also errors in tense consistency and sentence fragments. For example, 'owing to they do not visit' is grammatically incorrect. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, specifically subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions and articles, before attempting more complex structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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