Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-06

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, a significant number of people with medical issues are using alternative medications and treatments prescribed by the internet or a local person, rather than seeing their personal doctor. In my opinion, this is considered a negative development because relying on different medicines irrelevant to the illness can pose various health risks and bring a person's life in danger.

People with medical illnesses face severe pain and itching in their body. They have to take medicines in order to live. If the condition is severe, they have to start proper treatment in order to cure the disease. As the cost of original medicines is expensive, people tend to buy them at a cheaper cost from the local stores with different names and formulas. The ingredients in these medicines do not match with the person's prescribed medicines. Consuming the irrelevant tablets can have various side effects, posing severe health problems such as vomiting and allergies. For example, many people die from using inappropriate medicines for food poisoning. Therefore, they should consult their usual doctor so they can be prevented from such issues.

Similarly, various shop owners sell expired medicines and used syringes in order to expand their businesses. They don't care whether this can have negative consequences on a person's life. A person eating expired tablets can face side effects related to that. For instance, many hospitals are supplying syringes used on other patients, regardless of considering the impact on the patient's health. Similarly, discounted treatments are offered locally and advertized using social media applications. Many people get trapped in these offers and face problems afterwards. Personal doctors help patients to recover more quickly from diseases and guide them properly so they can be saved from local medications.

In conclusion, consuming local medications and treatments can be dangerous for a person, as they can be sometimes irrelevant and bring more illnesses instead of curing.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by taking a clear position that relying on alternative medicines instead of seeing a regular doctor is a negative development. Relevant ideas are presented, such as the risks of incorrect ingredients and expired medications. However, some ideas are under-developed or lack full clarity. For instance, the transition in the second body paragraph shifts abruptly from discussing cheap alternative medications to mentioning hospital practices regarding syringes, which somewhat dilutes the central argument about alternative treatments prescribed by unqualified sources. To reach a higher band, the main arguments would need to be more fully extended and supported with tightly focused examples that strictly pertain to alternative medicines and treatments.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays an overall coherent arrangement with a clear stance stated in the introduction and a concluding summary. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different supporting points. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty. Transitional phrases like 'Similarly' are used repetitively and sometimes inaccurately to connect disparate ideas that are not strictly similar, such as transitioning from local store tablets to hospital syringe practices in the third paragraph. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, leaving the logical progression between sentences slightly disjointed at times. Improving the flexibility and accuracy of cohesive devices would enhance the flow of the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'inappropriate medicines,' 'food poisoning,' and 'consequences.' However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'bring a person's life in danger' instead of 'put a person's life in danger' and 'a local person' instead of 'an unqualified practitioner.' There are also some awkward phrasings like 'eating expired tablets' rather than 'taking expired medications.' These lexical slips and minor inaccuracies do not impede communication, but they reflect a constrained lexical range. Incorporating more precise, natural collocations and a wider variety of style-appropriate vocabulary would elevate this score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating adequate control over basic sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'medicines irrelevant to the illness' and prepositions like 'at a cheaper cost' instead of 'at a lower cost.' Punctuation and verb forms are generally handled well enough that meaning is rarely obscured. The errors present are typical of a mixed structural approach rather than persistent, heavy flaws. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to incorporate a wider variety of complex structures with greater accuracy and error-free control.

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