Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-12

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)

These days, an increasing number of individuals with health issues are trying different medications and treatments rather than consulting their usual doctor. Although the usage of drugs without proper medical consultation can be damaging, it helps people avoid high consultation fees. In my opinion, it is not a positive development that people treat and take medicines of their own choice without visit a doctor.

One of the main advantages is that many people avoid doctors because their consulting charges are high. In this contemporary age, doctors have started charging too much, making it difficult for low-income people to visit a doctor. Although avoiding medical consultations might have a negative impact on their health, it allows them to save money to meet their basic needs. For example, poor people mostly visit local herbalists rather than seeing a professional doctor because alternative treatments charge lower fees. Therefore, medical consultations should be affordable for people of all income groups.

The major drawback is that individuals might face consequences once they use different medical treatments and medications. Nowadays, professional doctors have started running clinics as a business which means that they want to generate a substantial revenue instead of treating their patients properly. They suggest an operation to every other person without fully investigating the health records which is why many patients distrust doctors as they lack professionalism. This forces individuals to take drugs without a proper consultation. As a result, people might face severe side effects, nausea, vomiting and other health issues. This impacts not only their physical health but also their mental health. For instance, people of all income groups avoid seeing a doctor and take advice from unprofessional individuals who are not relevant to the medical profession.

To conclude, the numbers of patients using medical drugs and trying different treatments without seeing a doctor has been increasing at present. People abstain from seeing a doctor in order to evade a consultation fees, and using medicines without proper checkup can create severe health issues. However, I believe that avoiding proper medical advice is a negative development.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you regard self-treatment instead of consulting a doctor as a negative development, and you explain both the financial motivation and the health risks. The discussion of side effects, including “nausea, vomiting and other health issues,” is relevant, and the example of people turning to herbalists supports the affordability point. This meets the task well, with some elements showing the fuller development expected at a stronger level. However, the first body paragraph focuses substantially on the benefit of avoiding fees, while the second introduces a broad criticism of doctors’ commercial motives that is not fully connected to the question of alternative treatment. Develop the comparison more directly—for example, explain when self-care may be reasonable and why it cannot replace professional diagnosis in serious cases.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the financial motivation and health risks, and a conclusion that restates your view. Linking expressions such as “Although,” “For example,” and “As a result” help readers follow the argument. The progression is generally coherent, but some connections are mechanical or unclear. In the second body paragraph, the claim that doctors recommend operations leads to the conclusion that people use medicines without consultation, but the causal link needs more explanation. The conclusion also repeats several points from the body rather than synthesising them. Use clearer topic sentences and make each example explicitly support the paragraph’s main claim; vary transitions and use pronouns or references carefully to avoid repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “consultation fees,” “low-income people,” “alternative treatments,” “side effects,” and “medical profession.” These choices make the subject clear, and attempts at more formal language such as “substantial revenue” are appropriate in principle. Some word choices and collocations are less natural or imprecise, however: “the usage of drugs,” “consulting charges,” and “not relevant to the medical profession” do not express your meaning as precisely as they could. “Different medications” may also suggest prescribed drugs rather than alternative remedies. Aim for more natural combinations and precise distinctions, such as “self-medicate,” “consultation costs,” and “unqualified practitioners.” This would make the argument sound more fluent and controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including concessive clauses (“Although…”) and cause-and-effect structures (“which means that…”). Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, and the argument remains understandable. Some grammatical errors persist, particularly with verb forms, articles, and agreement. For example, “without visit a doctor” should be “without visiting a doctor,” and “a consultation fees” should be “consultation fees” or “a consultation fee.” In the conclusion, “the numbers of patients … has been increasing” has a subject–verb agreement problem; use “the number … has” or “the numbers … have.” Review these patterns and check long sentences for clear clause structure. More consistently accurate complex sentences would strengthen control.

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