Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-22

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)

In today's modern society, taking medicines without consulting doctors has become prevalent. Some people argue it is completely fine to take over-the-counter drugs during flu and fever, while others argue people should recognize their medical conditions before taking any random medicine. I completely agree with the view of visiting doctors and in this essay I will explain why.

There are several reasons why people believe in taking over-the-counter drugs by themselves and trying traditional medicine practices. Firstly, in some cases patients underestimate the symptoms of disease and perceive them as normal. Consequently, they start taking some common medicines according to their symptoms or visiting botanical practitioner. Secondly, getting a full body check-up and consulting an experienced doctor can be quite expensive, which is not afforded by low-income families. Resultantly, they prefer to treat their health conditions by themselves and trying conventional methods including herbal treatments and ayurvedic medicines.

On the other hand, visiting doctors can have several advantages. Firstly, doctors can first conduct several body tests and then give us personalized medicines according to our medical condition, which increases the likelihood of our quick recovery and can prevent us from antibiotic resistance. People who take antibiotics in every condition, even in the case where bacteria causing infection is completely different from bacteria present in antibiotic medicines can cause anti-biotic resistance. Secondly, doctors are experienced and professional in their work, they can prescribe medicines much better than herbalists, which can further decrease the possibility of malignant conditions.

In my opinion, although conventional methods are beneficial in certain common conditions, their excessive use and practices in serious conditions can be fatal. By contrast, getting a full body check-up and consulting experienced doctors is the best approach as it can provide us with advanced treatments without worsening of an illness.

All things considered, traditional medicines and random drugs are affordable but can worsen our medical conditions, consulting doctors and getting personlized medicines are the best suited approach, although it is costly. The advantages of visiting doctors outweigh its disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The candidate addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position on the given topic. The introduction states the writer's view clearly, and the body paragraphs discuss both sides before strongly supporting the notion that visiting doctors is a positive approach. The ideas are generally well developed, although the essay slightly drifts into discussing 'over-the-counter drugs' and self-medication in the introduction rather than strictly focusing on alternative medicines and treatments, which is the core prompt. However, the overall discussion adequately covers the prompt's requirements. Examples and reasons are provided to support the arguments, such as the high cost of health checks for low-income families and the dangers of antibiotic resistance. The position is maintained throughout the essay. This performance aligns well with the Band 7 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organised with a clear overall progression. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving from an introduction to body paragraphs discussing different perspectives, followed by a clear conclusion. The candidate uses cohesive devices appropriately, such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'On the other hand', and 'In my opinion', which help guide the reader through the text. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as using 'their' ambiguously in places. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately throughout the response. Cohesion is functional and effective, meeting the criteria for a Band 6.5 or 7.0, and is best placed at Band 6.5, leaning towards clear logical organisation with occasional minor faults.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The candidate demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-related terms such as 'over-the-counter drugs', 'antibiotic resistance', 'botanical practitioner', and 'malignant conditions'. There are some attempts to use less common vocabulary, though this is occasionally accompanied by minor word-choice or collocation inaccuracies, such as 'visiting botanical practitioner' (instead of consulting) and 'personlized medicines' (spelling error). However, these errors do not impede communication, and the intended meaning remains clear throughout. The vocabulary used is sufficient for the writer to communicate their ideas with reasonable precision. This fits the Band 6 criteria.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The candidate uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional and relative clauses, such as 'People who take antibiotics in every condition, even in the case where bacteria causing infection is completely different... can cause anti-biotic resistance.' There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings present, such as 'trying conventional methods including... and trying' (parallelism issue) and 'is the best suited approach, although it is costly' (run-on/comma splice tendency in the conclusion). Despite these errors, the majority of sentences are understandable, and they rarely impede communication. The control of grammar corresponds to a solid Band 6 level.

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