Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-04

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)

Without any iota of doubt, health plays an important role in our life. In today's world, a increasing count of individuals with health issues are trying to solve it at home, rather then taking advise of surgery. This essay will explain about positives and negatives of this.

Apparently, there are countless positives of this, but the major one is that, it is more cheap than visiting clinic. To explain it more, nowadays, the cost of treatment is high, most of people try to overcome from their problem by making natural medicine on home or take tablets from medical shop instead of visiting hospital. Also, doctor give same medicine that pharmacy gives. Moreover, it is more accessible than clinic and it is very easy for individuals for take medicine at any time, if they face any issue during night and doctor is not available at that time.

However, there are also drawbacks of this. Firstly, people may believe that herbal remedies are completely safe because they are natural. But, some of these products can affects how prescribed medicines work. If patients use them without consulting a doctor, they may experience complication or their treatment are not available. Moreover, these medicines have also side effects on human body and cause allergy, if person not has proper knowledge about how to make these remedies.

To conclude, there are both positives and negatives of this, it depends how we use this. If we use it in positive side, we get a lot benefits, however, if we use it in negative side, there are also drawbacks of this.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the positive and negative aspects of alternative medicine. However, the position is not fully developed. While you mention that it is cheaper and more accessible, the arguments lack depth and specific examples. The conclusion is somewhat repetitive and does not clearly state your final stance on whether this is a positive or negative development overall. To improve, ensure you provide more detailed explanations and a clear, consistent opinion throughout the essay, rather than simply stating that it depends on how it is used.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Moreover', and 'To conclude' to link your ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the logical progression within paragraphs could be smoother. For example, the transition from the cost of treatment to the accessibility of medicine in the second paragraph is a bit abrupt. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph focuses on a single, well-developed idea would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it is somewhat limited and repetitive. You use basic terms like 'cheap', 'good', and 'problem' frequently. There are also some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'taking advise of surgery' (which is unclear) and 'overcome from their problem'. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise, academic vocabulary and demonstrate a better grasp of collocations. For instance, instead of 'more cheap', use 'more cost-effective' or 'economical'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity, such as 'a increasing count', 'doctor give same medicine', and 'if person not has proper knowledge'. Subject-verb agreement and article usage are inconsistent throughout the text. While your meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and practicing more complex sentence structures would be highly beneficial.

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