Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-08

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 considered that the individuals with different medical sympthons are using alternative medicine and treatment. Other belive that they need to visit doctor. Although alternative medicine gives reliief in less money. But i believe that patient need to visit consultant becuase they identify the problem and give solution.

To begin with, there are a significant number of alternative medicine. Firstly, this mediciine can easily available in the shops or market. People with minor health sympthons such as fever, joint pain and headache is consume alternative medicine like pandol, artifine and modect becuase this medicine gives instant relief and bughet firendly. Secondly, people form millde class can not the fee of doctor, so the alternative medicine is beneficial of people who are in For example, a person who work as a labour, carpemter and others can strugling with their household expense, so they consume alternative medicine instead of visitng doctor.

However, doctors study alot they a essential knowledge about medicie and tretment. For example, people dont know the medcine they consume such as people with fever eat medicine of knee pain it can be dangerous of their health. People need to need visitor because they provide perfect medicine for the problem. In addition, many doctors are in the range of poor people or they can visit hospital for treatment.

In conclusion, although alternative medicine can easily available in the shops and bughet friendly. But i belive that patient they to visit doctor because they have knowledge aboout numerous medical condition.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource4.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy4.5
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear overall view that patients should consult doctors, and you acknowledge why some people choose alternatives, including affordability and quick relief for minor symptoms. These points are relevant to the question. However, the response only partly develops the comparison: the claim that alternative remedies are “beneficial” for people who cannot afford a doctor is not balanced with the risks of delaying diagnosis, and the doctor-focused paragraph gives only a brief example. Your position is present but is not consistently expressed, particularly in the opening, where the contrast between the two views is unclear. To strengthen the response, state directly whether this is a positive or negative development, then explain and support that judgement with a specific example and a fuller account of its consequences.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph about reasons for using alternative medicine, a contrasting paragraph about doctors, and a conclusion. Sequencing words such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” “However,” and “In addition” help signal the main stages. However, progression within paragraphs is uneven, and some links are mechanical or confusing. For example, “Although alternative medicine gives relief… But I believe” uses competing contrast markers, while the sentence about people who “can not the fee of doctor” breaks off before its point is completed. The conclusion repeats the main claim without clearly synthesising the reasons. Use complete topic sentences, connect each example explicitly to the paragraph’s main idea, and avoid stacking linking words.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “alternative medicine,” “treatment,” “symptoms,” “consultant,” and “medical condition,” and you attempt to discuss affordability and health risks. However, the range is limited and several words are repeated, while frequent spelling errors and inaccurate word choices make parts difficult to understand. Examples include “sympthons,” “reliief,” “bughet friendly,” and “medicie”; “consume medicine” is also an unnatural collocation. Some examples of named medicines are unclear, which weakens precision. Build a reliable set of health-related terms and check spelling and collocations carefully. Prefer clear expressions such as “take medication,” “affordable,” and “seek medical advice” over uncertain or repeated wording.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast beginning “Although” and examples introduced with “For example.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors in sentence structure, agreement, verb forms, and articles frequently make the meaning difficult to follow. For instance, “People with minor health symptoms … is consume” has incorrect agreement and verb construction, while “People need to need visitor” is not grammatically complete. The opening also joins “Although” and “But” in a faulty structure. Focus first on accurate simple sentences, then add one clause at a time. Check subject–verb agreement, use a consistent verb pattern after “need to,” and ensure every sentence has a clear subject and finite verb.

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