Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-18

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)

In recent times, greater number of individuals with problems related to health are avoiding to visit their usual doctor, instead they are trying new medicines and treatments. I think this is a negative development as it can lead to health risks and chances of making mistakes.

First and foremost, avoiding the regular doctor or the medicines which are prescribed and finding their alternative can lead to various health issues. Health risks, finding the perfect alternative for health issues can lead to several health risks. The old doctor was aware about the problem and it's solution. The new doctor have to figure out the problem which will be a time taking process. The alternative doctor may provide wrong medicines due to lack of experience. If the new medicine have another effects to the health, it may lead to several health risks.

Secondly, the other negative development is chances of making mistakes. The new doctor if not aware about the treatments which is done on the patient maybe consider it something else. For instance, if the individual went to the doctor for stomach ache and the new doctor identified liver problem, then will cure it, but the stomach ache problem isn't solved and it is a very big mistake. Furthermore, people switch to alternative medicines without any guidance from their regular doctor, which is a mistake and it also can be dangerous for health.

In conclusion, switching to alternative medicines and doctor is a negative development. As it can lead to several health risks and wrong treatment by the new doctor. As a result, it is better to stay with the regular doctor as they are more aware about the problem of their regular patients and there will be less chances of any mistakes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by clearly stating a position that the trend is a negative development. The writer provides reasons related to health risks and potential diagnostic mistakes, which align with the task requirements. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive and lacks depth. For instance, the discussion around finding an alternative doctor in the second paragraph loops back to health risks multiple times without fully exploring how or why patients make this shift. Similarly, the example given in the third paragraph about stomach aches and liver problems is a bit confused and under-developed. To reach higher bands, the ideas need to be extended with more sophisticated reasoning and precise examples. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, placing it firmly at a Band 6.0 level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is divided into an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion, showing a clear overall arrangement and progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are used to signal transitions, such as 'First and foremost' and 'Secondly', though some referencing can be a bit mechanical or confusing. For example, in the second paragraph, phrases like 'the medicines which are prescribed and finding their alternative' and 'The alternative doctor' create some minor tracking issues for the reader. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct arguments, but internal sentence-level cohesion occasionally breaks down, such as in the sentence 'Health risks, finding the perfect alternative for health issues can lead to several health risks.' These minor issues place the response at a solid Band 6.0 for coherence and cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for discussing health and medical treatments, but it is somewhat limited and repetitive. The student uses terms like 'health problems', 'alternative medicines', 'health risks', and 'regular doctor' frequently throughout the essay. There are also some noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward collocations, such as 'avoiding to visit' instead of 'avoiding visiting', and 'another effects' instead of 'other effects'. While the student attempts some less common vocabulary, control over these items is inconsistent. Spelling is generally accurate, but the lack of lexical flexibility and precision prevents the response from achieving a higher score. This performance corresponds to a Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some variety in structure. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasings that interrupt the flow of the text. Examples include 'greater number of individuals' (missing article), 'avoiding to visit' (incorrect gerund/infinitive pattern), 'The new doctor if not aware' (faulty punctuation and clause structure), and 'treatments which is done' (agreement error). Although these errors do not severely impede overall communication, they occur with enough frequency to restrict the score. The control of complex structures is inconsistent, leading to errors in punctuation and tense usage. This is indicative of a Band 5.5 performance.

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