Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

Health problems are very common now-a-days due to a number of causes.Different people are affected by different types of conditions.Some people are very concerned about their health and they tend to take proper consultation from a doctor while on the other hand, a growing number of people with health problems are trying alternative medicines instead of visiting their usual doctor.

Every medicine has a positive effect as well as side effect. So its necessary to take it with prescription from a doctor. Doctors are very experienced in their field and they prescribe medicine after making thorough diagnosis through tests and assessment of a certain pateint. So it's better to use prescribed medicine according to the condition rather than using alternative medicines and treatments.

In my opinion, it's a negative development because one can't diagnose his/her condition accurately so taking alternative medicine and treatment without prescription can cause harm instead of benefit. A person may know the drugs for certain conditions but they are unsure about it's dosage and combination with other drugs and what if other undiagnosed conditions exists in the same person and that drug is contraindicated in that condition. Now-a-days people take help from internet and artificial intelligence sites about treatments and medicines rather than visiting usual doctor but they don't know how to consume it and in what dosage.

From the above discussion, it is concluded that treatment should always be taken from a proper doctor and only prescribed medicines should be used because taking drugs without proper consultation can cause serious harm to the body.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you consider replacing a usual doctor with alternative treatments a negative development, and you give relevant reasons, including the risks of incorrect dosage, drug combinations and undiagnosed conditions. The example of people seeking advice from the internet and AI also relates directly to the topic. However, some points are asserted rather than fully explained, and the response gives limited development of what counts as alternative treatment or why people choose it. The conclusion restates your view but adds little support. The response is 247 words, three words below the required minimum; the 12 words copied from the task prompt are not counted. Develop one or two reasons with a specific example and ensure the response meets the minimum.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, supporting paragraphs and a conclusion, and the reader can follow your negative position. However, progression within the body paragraphs is sometimes mechanical. Phrases such as “So,” “In my opinion,” and “From the above discussion” announce connections rather than showing how ideas develop, while the second paragraph moves quickly from doctors’ expertise to a general recommendation. Some sentences also contain several linked points, making relationships less clear—for example, the sentence about dosage, drug combinations and contraindications. Use clearer topic sentences, separate distinct risks, and connect each explanation directly to the claim it supports. This would make the organisation more consistently logical and cohesion less dependent on formulaic transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate your argument, including “diagnosis,” “dosage,” “contraindicated” and “prescription.” These terms show an attempt to discuss medical risks precisely. However, several choices and collocations are awkward or repetitive, such as “take proper consultation,” “a certain pateint,” and “serious harm to the body.” Spelling and written forms also need attention, including “pateint” and “now-a-days.” The repeated use of “medicine,” “doctor” and “condition” limits flexibility, and some phrasing is imprecise, such as “artificial intelligence sites.” Aim for more natural collocations and vary key terms where appropriate; this will make the argument sound clearer and more controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a conditional structure in “what if other undiagnosed conditions exists” and a reason clause beginning “because.” The main argument remains understandable, but grammatical control is inconsistent. For example, “conditions exists” has a subject–verb agreement error, and “they are unsure about it's dosage” uses an incorrect possessive form. There are also run-on sentences and missing spaces after full stops, as in the opening. Some sentences combine multiple clauses without clear punctuation, which makes them harder to process. Practise checking agreement, possessives, sentence boundaries and comma use, while keeping complex sentences manageable. More consistently accurate sentence construction would strengthen the response.

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