Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-14

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)

The majority of people nowadays are trying to use different treatments and medicines to deal with their health problems, instead of discussing with their regular doctor, and I believe that it is a negative development, as it can destroy their health in longer run.

Doctors play a substantial role in helping the community, and making sure that people enjoy good life. People nowadays are depending excessively on searching the problems online, and getting the information about treatments and medicines they can use to deal with their problems. These medications might have side effects and can destroy any other organ in the body. Some people usually have no information about the things they are allergic to, and they end up getting asthma or severe health conditions.

Moreover, wrong assessment of the disease effects the blood pressure of human body, as some medicines are not perfect for people suffering from high blood pressure. People are keen to diagnose their problems, but it is not a sensible idea to use any medication or treatment without the consent of good doctor, as a lay man might have no idea about the required amount of medicine, that needs to be used. In some cases when people do not feel better after visiting their regular doctors, it is important to take advice from another secialist, but you need to make sure that he knows all your health history. Recently, alot of people started taking a weight loss drug known as mounjaro, and they reported that they developed kidney issues and heart problems.

In conclusion, I believe that it is crucial for people to visit their usual doctors, instead of experimenting with the different medications and treatments as self diagnosis can have negative effects on health.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response clearly addresses the prompt by taking a definite negative stance on people using alternative medicines and treatments instead of seeing a regular doctor. The position is maintained throughout the essay. The student develops ideas around the risks of self-diagnosis, potential side effects of online medications, and the lack of knowledge regarding allergies and drug dosages. While the reasoning is generally sound and supported by a relevant example regarding the weight loss drug 'mounjaro', some of the ideas remain slightly under-developed and would benefit from greater elaboration or a wider range of supporting evidence. Overall, all parts of the task are addressed adequately, fitting the criteria for Band 6.5, rounded to 6.0 based on depth.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay has a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical progression from introduction to body paragraphs and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different ideas, such as the dangers of online searching in the second paragraph and incorrect medical assessments in the third. Cohesive devices are employed, including transition words like 'Moreover' and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally faulty or mechanical, such as the phrasing in 'in longer run' and some abrupt shifts between sentences. This places the essay comfortably within the Band 6 descriptor.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'alternative medicines', 'excessively', 'allergic', and 'self diagnosis'. There are some successful attempts to use less common vocabulary, though this is accompanied by occasional word choice and collocation errors, such as 'discussing with their regular doctor' instead of 'consulting', 'effects the blood pressure' instead of 'affects', and 'good doctor' instead of 'qualified doctor'. Spelling is generally accurate, and vocabulary errors do not impede overall communication, reflecting a solid Band 6 performance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms throughout the response, such as conditional and relative clauses ('medicines that need to be used'). There are noticeable errors in grammar and punctuation, including missing articles ('a lay man', 'in longer run', 'knows all your health history'), capitalization issues ('alot', 'mounjaro'), and minor verb agreement slips. However, these errors rarely impede communication, and the basic structures are generally well-controlled. This demonstrates the characteristics of Band 6 grammatical range and accuracy.

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