Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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 recent times, an increasing amount of individuals with health issues are relying on alternative treatments instead of seeing a doctor. In my opinion, I believe this is a negative development and has a lot of health related risks and one should never gamble in regards to their own health. However, in some cases with general illness, one can choose to treat themselves at home but if the symptoms prevail, then it is a must to visit a doctor.

The main drawback of individuals choosing to treat themselves with alternative medications instead of visiting a doctor is a very severe risk they are taking upon their health. In such cases, this could cause serious health issues which could have been handled if they went to a doctor. For instance, an indiviual can have an un-diagnosed health crisis such as cancer, and un-knowingly and choosing to treat themselves can lead to serious implications. Moreover, people tend to save more by not visiting a doctor, but if theres something really seriously wrong, it could be fatal and if it not cured in time, no amount of money can bring their health back.

However, despite the fact that visting a doctor is a must in serious cases, one can definitely make a choice of treating themselves if the symptoms are more common such as fever, nausea, and motion. In such cases, one can look up their symptoms on AI tools which can guide them to take mediciations accordingly, but still if the symptoms keep reflecting for a longer period of time, one then must visit a doctor as the earliest.

In conclusion, people choosing not to visit a doctor and trying alternative medications can have some very serious or even fatal consequences. I firmly believe that this is a negative development and as they say, prevention is always better than cure.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction to the conclusion: you regard replacing a doctor with alternative treatment as negative, chiefly because serious conditions may go undiagnosed. The cancer example and the point that delayed treatment can have fatal consequences are relevant support, and you also acknowledge that minor symptoms may sometimes be managed at home. This addresses the question, but the two sides are not developed equally: the discussion of self-treatment for common illnesses is brief, and the reference to AI tools is asserted rather than explained or qualified. To strengthen the response, clarify what you mean by alternative medicines and distinguish these from sensible home care, then develop examples and reasoning more fully so the position is supported with greater precision.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a coherent overall structure: an introduction states your view, two body paragraphs consider risks and limited exceptions, and the conclusion restates your position. Linking phrases such as “For instance,” “Moreover,” and “However” help signal the relationships between ideas. Some connections are less smooth or precise, however. The first body paragraph moves from undiagnosed illness to saving money and then to fatal outcomes without fully explaining the links, while “In such cases” is used for different situations and can leave the reference unclear. The contrast paragraph also shifts quickly from common symptoms to AI advice. Use clearer topic sentences and make each example explicitly support the paragraph’s main point; this would make progression more consistently easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “alternative treatments,” “undiagnosed,” “implications,” and “fatal consequences,” which helps communicate the central concern. However, the range and precision are uneven, and several choices sound unnatural or are repeated: “health issues,” “serious,” and “visit a doctor” recur, while “motion” is unclear in the list of symptoms. There are also noticeable spelling and word-form errors, such as “indiviual,” “mediciations,” and “un-knowingly.” These do not prevent understanding, but they limit the accuracy and flexibility expected at a stronger level. Build a more precise set of health-related expressions and check spelling; for example, use “seek medical advice” and “persistent symptoms” where appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including conditional clauses (“if the symptoms prevail”) and a concessive opening (“despite the fact that…”). Most ideas remain understandable, but some sentence structures and punctuation need more control. The opening sentence of the first body paragraph is awkwardly constructed, and the long sentence beginning “For instance, an indiviual…” combines several actions without a clear grammatical relationship. In “if it not cured in time,” the passive construction is missing “is,” and “one then must visit a doctor as the earliest” has an incorrect structure. Review clause boundaries, articles, and verb forms, and divide long sentences when their relationships become difficult to follow. This would improve accuracy while preserving your attempts at complex sentences.

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