Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-06

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 6.5)

There is a considerable debate about visiting to doctors, some people believe that it is important to visit doctors, while others argue that health issues can be relieved by using over the counter medicines and remedies. Although alternative methods can provide a short term relief, I believe we should consult our doctors.

On the one hand, there is an ongoing trend of taking herbal and homeopathic medications, which are substantially effective in relieving pain and treating diseases. People are finding new alternative ways to prevent the excessive use of antibiotics and various clinical tests, which are rather expensive and laborious. For example, the public is more inclined to natural and effective ways, in order to restrict side effects of higher use of chemical compounds. In some cases, people can hardly be able to get a doctor's appointment on time, as a result they tend to use over the counter drugs to get immediate relief.

On the other hand, visiting doctor is the most suitable approach, not only does it provide patients their personalized treatment but also helps them to prevent the use of wrong medicine, which could otherwise cause some serious consequences. Since doctors are professionals, they can give their patients specific medicine regarding to a particular disease by performing various laboratory tests, which automatically reduces the risks of antibiotic resistance.

In my opinion, although using herbal, ayurvedic and OTC drugs are of significant use, depending entirely on alternative methods can pose serious threats. However, we should try to visit doctors whenever our body gives us alarming signs instead of ignoring it and keep trying remedies.

All things considered, though we should incline to organic treatments during the appearance of early symptoms, if it is not recovering we should definitely visit the doctor after few days. The disadvantages of over dependence on parallel methods outweigh its advantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all parts of the task by presenting a clear position and supporting it with relevant arguments. Your stance is consistent throughout the essay, and you provide a balanced view by discussing both the benefits of alternative medicine and the necessity of professional medical consultation. To reach a higher band, ensure that your supporting examples are more specific. For instance, instead of mentioning 'various clinical tests' generally, you could briefly explain how a specific diagnostic tool might be avoided. The development of your ideas is logical, though some points, such as the mention of 'ayurvedic' drugs, could be expanded to better illustrate why they are considered a viable alternative to conventional medicine.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand,' 'On the other hand,' and 'All things considered' to guide the reader through your argument. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For example, in the second paragraph, the link between the difficulty of getting appointments and the use of over-the-counter drugs is clear, but the connection could be strengthened with more sophisticated referencing. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas, which helps maintain the overall coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, including terms like 'homeopathic,' 'antibiotic resistance,' and 'personalized treatment.' You attempt to use less common vocabulary, which is a positive step. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'visiting to doctors' (should be 'visiting doctors') and 'regarding to a particular disease' (should be 'regarding a particular disease'). To improve, focus on refining these collocations and ensuring that your word choices are consistently precise. The vocabulary used is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but more variety and idiomatic control would elevate the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this level. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'people can hardly be able to' (a redundant construction) and 'if it is not recovering' (which lacks a clear subject). Additionally, there are minor punctuation and preposition errors throughout the text. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct usage of modal verbs. Increasing the frequency of error-free complex sentences will help you demonstrate better control over your grammatical range.

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