Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-30

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 5.0)

It is increasingly common that a significant number of people experiencing various health problems are shifting to alternative medicines and treatments rather than visiting their usual doctor. There are several reasons why this trend has become widespread. In my view this is positive development because it help them to diagnose their health issues from multiple doctors and compare their reports.

One of the main benefits for choosing alternative treatments is that it helps patients diagnose their disease in different way. Many people have been suffering from various illnesses for a long time but same doctor has not improved their condition. For example, A person experiencing a health problem and they using the same medicines and treatments for a long time and instead of improving their health becoming worst. They should be visit other doctor.

Another benefit for visiting alternative doctor is that patients can compare their health reports. Sometimes, individuals are concerned about their health and they feel that their doctor is not treating them properly. This can helps them to overcome their doubts. For Instance, if a person has been suffering from an illness for a long time and has been receiving treatment without any significant improvement, they may begin to have doubts about whether their doctor is competent or whether they have been diagnosed with correct illness. By consulting another doctor and comparing medical test results they can overcome these doubts and gain greater confidence in their diagnoses.

In conclusion, people who suffering illness should choose alternative medicines and doctor. I believe that this is positive development because It helps them to overcome their doubts and find a best treatment or doctor according to their disease.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that turning to alternative treatments is a positive development. However, the interpretation of 'alternative medicines and treatments' in the essay focuses primarily on seeking a 'second opinion' from another doctor rather than traditional or complementary therapies like herbalism or acupuncture. While this is a slight misinterpretation of the core theme, the student still develops relevant ideas around consulting different practitioners to compare reports and overcome doubts. The arguments are presented, but some supporting examples, such as 'A person experiencing a health problem and they using the same medicines...', are slightly repetitive and under-developed. Therefore, the task is addressed adequately, fitting the criteria for a Band 5.5 to 6.0, settling at a Band 6.0 due to the relevant overall structure and clear stance.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different supporting points. However, logical progression is occasionally hindered by mechanical or faulty cohesive devices. For instance, the transition 'Another benefit for visiting alternative doctor is that...' contains grammatical issues and repetitive phrasing ('Another main benefit...'). Referencing is sometimes unclear, and cohesive devices are basic, such as the frequent reliance on 'This can helps them...'. While the structure allows the reader to follow the writer's train of thought, the execution of cohesion lacks flexibility, characteristic of a Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully using terms such as 'widespread', 'competent', 'consulting', and 'significant improvement'. However, there are noticeable lexical and word-choice errors throughout the text. For example, the writer uses 'positive development because it help them' and 'diagnose their disease in different way' (missing articles and pluralisation issues), as well as confusing 'alternative medicines' with simply seeing a different conventional doctor. These errors do not completely impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score to a Band 5.0 due to the lack of precision and limited flexibility in handling less common vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some ambition in sentence structures (e.g., 'if a person has been suffering from an illness...'). However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors such as subject-verb agreement issues ('it help them', 'This can helps them', 'people who suffering'), missing articles ('is positive development'), and awkward phrasing ('health becoming worst'). These frequent errors can occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, although meaning is generally retrievable. This performance aligns closely with the Band 5 descriptors, where attempts at complex sentences are frequently marred by basic grammatical slips.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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