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)

In recent time, The importance of technology is increasing day-by-day. Therefore, medical treatments are become more advance. While, A number of people is growing day-by-day with many health problems. But, most people trying to alternative medicines and treatments instead of visiting their usual doctor. I think this is a negative development.

On the one hand, the major significant reasons of increasing health problems are unhealthy food, a lot of cold drinks, and pressure of stress. Moreover, during these problems todays people trying alternative medicines and treatments such as traditional medicine, home remedy, and Ayurvedic medicine. Sometime, This techniques are very helpful for recover our health. But, nowadays, people suffering from severe pain such as malaria, high fever, and mental issues. At that time, people should visiting their usual doctor.

On the other hand, A lot of reasons affect on people want to less choose visiting their doctor. One is, some people haven't enough money to check their health with doctor, and sometime tradition treatments are more effective rather that other medicine in small health problems. For instance, today people don't have enough time therefore first they try to solve their problems through alternative medicines such as fever, and little stress problems.

In conclusion, Some people believe that tradition and alternative medicines and treatments are more important than visiting doctor. While, others think that visiting their doctor treatments are more important. In my opinion, recently health issues are become more serious problems therefore people should visit their usual doctor rather that trying alternative medicines and treatments.

AI examiner evaluation

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 mention reasons such as cost and time, the arguments are somewhat repetitive and lack depth. For instance, the explanation of why people choose alternative medicine is brief and could be better supported with more specific examples or logical analysis. The conclusion restates the position but does not effectively synthesize the arguments presented. To improve, ensure each paragraph focuses on a single, well-developed idea that directly supports your thesis, providing more detailed reasoning for your claims.

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, the use of 'But' and 'While' at the beginning of sentences is frequent and sometimes grammatically incorrect. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'This techniques are very helpful', where the pronoun does not agree with the noun. The progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed, making the flow feel repetitive. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring they are used correctly will significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'good', 'bad', and 'problems' repeatedly. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'medical treatments are become more advance' (should be 'have become more advanced') and 'people should visiting' (should be 'should visit'). Some terms are used incorrectly, such as 'traditional medicine' when referring to home remedies. To improve, focus on learning collocations and using more precise academic vocabulary to express your ideas more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the essay that occasionally impede communication. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('medical treatments are become', 'people is growing'), incorrect verb forms ('people should visiting'), and misuse of articles ('a number of people is growing'). Sentence structures are mostly simple, and attempts at complex sentences often contain errors, such as the misuse of 'While' as a sentence starter. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with capitalization and comma usage. To reach a higher band, you need to focus on mastering basic sentence construction and ensuring consistent subject-verb agreement.

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