Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-11

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 today's time, an increasing number of individuals with health issues prefer to use other medications and treatment methods istead of visiting conventional doctors. Although, there are some benefits of this appraoch such avoiding harmful medicines and saving of money but I believe it is a negative development overall as alternative methods cannot treat every health issue.

On the one hand, using herbal medicines and doing yoga helps them avoiding dangerous drugs and also good for saving money. Nowadays, most of the drugs that are available in market are either expired or made with harmful ingredients. For instance, majority of allopathic medications cause detrimental effects on stomach. In addition, in this modern economy, visiting doctors is very expensive and even a simple checkup costs thousands, So this appraoch is quite helpful from saving point of view also. Consequently, more and more individuals are shifting to herbal medication and yoga rather than visiting doctors.

On the other hand, majority of individuals harm themselves because of this trend. Because most of people use these herbal medicines without suffecient knowledge and end up increasing their health issues. Furthermore, herbal medicines and yoga is not the solution of every health related problem. For example, bone fractures can not be treated without consulting a good doctor. As a result, individuals tend to save money end up making the case even worse for their health.

To conclude, although there are a significant amount of pros of this development which includes consuming natural drugs instead of chemical one's and save money but my opinion is that it is not a positive approach overall as it contains alot of loopwholes which includes not having proper knowledge and limited amount of problems it can cure..

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you acknowledge possible benefits but conclude that relying on alternative treatments is negative because they cannot address every condition. Both sides are relevant, and the examples of yoga, herbal remedies, medication costs and fractures help answer the question. This meets the task well, though some points are asserted rather than carefully supported. For instance, the claim that most drugs on the market are expired or contain harmful ingredients is very broad and needs evidence or qualification. The cost argument is also introduced but not developed beyond the price of a check-up. To strengthen the response, explain more precisely how delaying medical diagnosis can worsen illness, and distinguish responsible complementary treatment from replacing a doctor’s care.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your view, two body paragraphs present contrasting arguments, and the conclusion restates your position. Signposting such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “To conclude” makes the progression easy to follow. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. In the first body paragraph, “Consequently” repeats the preceding point rather than showing a distinct result, while the final sentence of the second body paragraph combines saving money with worsening health without clearly explaining the relationship. The conclusion also repeats several ideas from the introduction. Use referencing and transitions more precisely, and make each paragraph develop a clear chain from claim to explanation to example.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “herbal medicines,” “allopathic medications,” “detrimental effects,” and “health-related problem.” These choices show an attempt to discuss the issue specifically, but control is uneven and some expressions are unnatural or imprecise, such as “saving point of view,” “natural drugs,” and “a significant amount of pros.” Spelling errors, including “istead,” “appraoch,” “suffecient,” and “loopwholes,” are noticeable and reduce the accuracy of the writing. Some wording also overstates the point, particularly “most of the drugs” being expired or harmful. Aim for accurate, natural collocations and check spelling carefully; a more precise vocabulary will make your arguments clearer and more convincing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including a concession in the introduction and clauses beginning with “Because” and “although.” However, complex structures are often faulty, and errors occur across the response. For example, “using herbal medicines and doing yoga helps them avoiding” has problems with agreement and verb pattern; “herbal medicines and yoga is” should use a plural verb; and “individuals tend to save money end up making” lacks a grammatical connection between its clauses. The opening “Although” sentence is also punctuated and constructed awkwardly. These errors sometimes make relationships between ideas difficult to follow. Practise building accurate sentences with subordinate clauses, parallel forms and clear punctuation, then proofread for agreement and missing connectors.

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