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 today's world, the number of patients is rising day by day because of several new diseases. People use various methods and treatments against many syndromes. Nowadays, a large number of patients with health concerns are preferring other medicines and treatments rather than taking advice from their general doctors. I strongly disagree with this development because of several reasons.

Firstly, trying of another method instead of doctor's advice causes several obstacles. By this I mean that it can be worse for patients. For instance, if the patients are using their own methods and treatments against the diseases than it makes the condition of patients more worse. In some cases it may creates the life threatning situations. That's why people always give priority to the priscription of doctors.

Secondly, the second issue is that mostly old people consume traditional methods to improve health against many syndromes. However, these methods are not effective for all diseases. For instance, if the patients take these kinds of treatments for all diseases than the health of patient become more worse instead of improvement. Therefore, patients must need to visit specific doctors it will be helpful for their health.

In contrast, in some cases people argue that few doctors priscribe high medicines for tiny problems. For instance, doctors may offer medicines which contains high amount of power for just fever. It can make the people dependent on medicines and it even effect thier own immunity. That's why people should visit specialist for just big diseases such as cancer, malaria and even for dengue.

Finally, patients should visit the doctors when it is needed otherwise, for serious diseases they should not to try their own methods it will make the patient more worse.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position against alternative medicine. However, the development of ideas is limited. While you provide reasons, they are repetitive and lack depth. For instance, you mention that alternative methods can be 'worse' for patients multiple times without explaining the underlying medical or scientific reasons. The counter-argument paragraph is a good attempt at balance, but it is somewhat disconnected from the main argument. To improve, focus on providing more specific, well-reasoned examples rather than repeating the same general point about health worsening. Ensure that your arguments are fully extended to demonstrate a deeper understanding of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive. Phrases like 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Finally' are used, but the transitions between sentences within paragraphs are sometimes abrupt. For example, the jump from discussing traditional methods to the counter-argument about doctors prescribing high-power medicine lacks a smooth logical bridge. Additionally, referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the use of 'this' or 'it' without a clear antecedent. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring each sentence flows logically from the previous one will enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. There is significant repetition of basic words like 'methods', 'treatments', 'diseases', and 'worse'. You also struggle with word choice and collocation, such as 'high medicines', 'high amount of power', and 'big diseases'. These errors occasionally make the meaning slightly awkward. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more sophisticated vocabulary related to the topic, such as 'conventional medicine', 'holistic approaches', 'efficacy', or 'clinical supervision', and ensure that your collocations are natural and accurate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'it may creates'), incorrect verb forms (e.g., 'they should not to try'), and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'makes the condition of patients more worse'). The use of comparative adjectives is also consistently incorrect, as you use 'more worse' instead of simply 'worse'. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common grammatical slips.

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