Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-07

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 5.5)

Although visting doctor is common thing a person should reach first if he find any discomfort or hinderence in his daily routine. Ther trend of self medication has been increased in recent years it has so many reasons.

The principle cause is being known to medical terminlogies and medicine sound fancy. The show off of education is increasing in society. Also the influence of social media is the main reason of this Act. A large number off adds are running on social media. A huge number of influencers are promoting medicine and treatments without knowing their actual Disadvantages.They are just promoting it for sake of money. If Indivuals are facing issues and they see an add on their mobile they immidiately order that particular thing for cure instead of visting a professional healthcare to know the main cause. For instance a number of girls are facing issues of ance and hormonal imbalance inatead of visting gynaecologist and treating it in right way they are using different kinds of creams and medicines on the recomendations of influencers.

The opposing view emphasis that Some solutions are remedies are effective. They must do good for people. It is said visiting a professional is just wasting of money and time. And healthcare professionals are also recommending the things we are already known. Some people don't visit doctor just for the pressure of societ what they will think.

According to my lense visting a specialist doctor is necessary becuase they first find out the root cause of that particular disease then treat it what it requirs.

In conclusion it can be said that having knowledge is pretty fine but treating your issues with your mind or any influence in not justfied. Health is the key of good life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you believe people should consult a doctor rather than rely on alternative treatments or self-medication. You support this with relevant points about social-media advertising and influencers, and the example of girls using creams for acne or hormonal problems gives the argument a concrete focus. You also acknowledge the opposing view that remedies may work and that medical visits can cost time and money. However, this counterargument is only briefly stated, and the essay does not explain in much detail why alternative treatments can be harmful or when they might be appropriate. Develop these ideas further and connect them more explicitly to your judgement that this is a negative development.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph explaining the influence of advertising, a paragraph presenting an opposing view, and a conclusion. This makes the overall direction understandable. However, progression between ideas is sometimes unclear. The opening moves from visiting a doctor to self-medication without clearly stating the essay’s position, while the paragraph beginning “The opposing view” contains several points that are not linked or explained. Some transitions, such as “Also” and “And,” are basic, and references such as “They” in “They must do good for people” are unclear. Use topic sentences to guide each paragraph and make the links between claims explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “social media,” “influencers,” “professional healthcare,” “root cause,” and “hormonal imbalance.” These choices help communicate the main concerns. However, the range is limited and several word-choice, collocation, and spelling problems make parts of the response difficult to read, such as “medicine sound fancy,” “show off of education,” and “for sake of money.” Spelling errors including “visting,” “terminlogies,” and “recomendations” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more precise, natural expressions and check spelling carefully. For example, describe people as “self-medicating” and say that influencers “promote products for financial gain.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a conditional structure in “If individuals are facing issues and they see an ad … they immediately order that particular thing.” This shows an effort to explain cause and effect. However, sentence control is inconsistent, and errors in agreement, articles, and sentence construction sometimes make meaning less clear. For example, “a person should reach first if he find” has an incorrect verb form and an unclear sentence pattern; “The principle cause is being known to medical terminologies” is also structurally difficult to follow. Several sentences begin with conjunctions or join multiple ideas without clear punctuation. Practise building accurate subject–verb patterns and separating long explanations into complete sentences.

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