Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-07

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 6.0)

Nowadays, various people suffering from diseases are trying different alternative treatments along with medicines instead of visiting a professional doctor. I personally believe that however this approach has few benefits but it is a negative development for the society due to forth stated points before a suitable conclusion.

On the one hand, experiencing various types of medication can help people receive temporary relief like yoga could help people to feel relaxed even-though it does not have any major role in curing disease. Also, trying alternative treatments such as therapy could also help individual with issues like depression to be cured. In addition, using treatments which eliminate the need of certain medicines could also help people to stay away from the side effects of medicines. Moreover, ayurvedic medication could also help the population to get relief from certain diseases and also allow them to consume natural medication. As a result, it could be said that alternative treatment and medication has a few temporary benefits.

On the other hand, alternative treatments and medications have numerous drawbacks as it is not advisable to get consulted by people who are not verified professional as even-though they could provide temporary relief yet they would not be able to provide permanent cure. It is because alternative treatments have no scientific proof of providing permanent cure to diseases from which people suffer. Also, getting treated by someone who does not have any suitable degree or scientific evidence of cure could let a person meet with certain risks. Moreover, alternative treatments could also worsen the situation of the person after which it would also be difficult for professional doctors to permanently cure that person.

To conclude, although trying alternative medications and treatments could help the person suffering from disease get a temporary relief yet the drawbacks of using that could let thee person met with certain consequence. Thus, I firmly believe that due to aforementioned points this is a negative development for the society.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the trend is negative. The ideas are relevant, such as the lack of scientific evidence for alternative treatments and the potential risks involved. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat repetitive. For instance, the argument about 'temporary relief' versus 'permanent cure' is restated multiple times without significant expansion or deeper analysis. While the position is consistent throughout, the supporting arguments could be more varied and nuanced to reach a higher band. The introduction is slightly awkward in its phrasing, specifically the reference to 'forth stated points', which slightly obscures the clarity of the thesis.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', 'In addition', and 'Moreover'. However, the use of these devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. Some transitions feel forced, and the flow between sentences is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing, such as 'due to forth stated points before a suitable conclusion'. Referencing is generally clear, but the overall progression of ideas could be smoother to avoid the feeling of a list of points rather than a cohesive argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. There is some repetition of basic terms like 'treatments', 'medicines', and 'relief'. While the student attempts to use some topic-specific vocabulary (e.g., 'ayurvedic', 'scientific evidence'), there are instances of imprecise word choice, such as 'get consulted by people' instead of 'consulting professionals' and 'meet with certain risks' instead of 'face risks'. The range is sufficient to communicate the main points, but it does not demonstrate a sophisticated control of collocation or less common lexical items.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that, while they do not impede communication, are noticeable. Examples include 'however this approach has few benefits' (incorrect use of 'however' as a conjunction), 'get consulted by people' (passive voice misuse), and 'let thee person met with' (spelling and verb form errors). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are issues with comma usage and sentence boundaries. The control of complex structures is inconsistent, and the frequency of errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band.

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