Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-05

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)

At present, a large proportion of individuals are taking relevant doses of medicine and trying their own methods to cure the diseases from which they are suffering in place of consulting with their own doctor. It is posing serious threats on the lives of people and on society.

Now a days, people do not follow the advices of doctor and try several treatments on their own as a result they will have to face several other issues in the inside part of their body. In spite of curing a disease, some other diseases can come into consideration. For example, some alternative ways or medicines used for treatment of eyes can result in several blood and respiratory problems.

Some relevant medicines can also have a negative role in individuals. Medicines are differ in formula and in outcome of a particular disease. If we buy medicines with wrong formula then it will not help us in any prospective to remove that disease. For example, if we buy higher dose of a prescribed medicine, it can do some harm.

Though sometimes, our own methods can help us in our fight against disease but it will benefit us in a small way. That is why we must not need to try other treatments and always take advice from doctor about the alternate medicines available to you. Otherwise, the result will come in form of a unhealthy society which is not good for a developing country.

In conclusion, irrelevant medicines and operations can boost up the level of disease. So we must take every step according to the details given by doctor. Then, we can succeed in building a healthy society.

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. However, the development of ideas is limited. While you mention that alternative treatments can cause health issues, the arguments are somewhat repetitive and lack specific, well-explained examples. For instance, the mention of 'respiratory problems' is a good start, but it is not expanded upon to show how or why this happens. To reach a higher band, you should provide more detailed reasoning and ensure that your examples directly support your main argument rather than just stating general possibilities.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or slightly unnatural. Phrases like 'In spite of curing a disease' are used incorrectly, and the transition between ideas is sometimes abrupt. While there is a logical progression from the introduction to the conclusion, the internal structure of the paragraphs could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect sentences more fluidly. Referencing is generally clear, but the overall flow feels somewhat disjointed.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'good', 'bad', and 'things', and there are some issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'inside part of their body' (internal organs) and 'boost up the level of disease' (exacerbate health conditions). There are also some awkward phrasings, such as 'in any prospective'. To improve, focus on learning more academic collocations and precise terminology related to health and medicine.

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 ('Medicines are differ'), article usage ('the advices of doctor'), and awkward sentence construction ('the result will come in form of a unhealthy society'). While the meaning is generally understandable, these persistent errors in basic grammar prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. You should focus on proofreading your work to correct these recurring slips in tense and pluralization.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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