Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-21

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 4.0)

In recent times, an increasing number of individuals with health issues go for alternative medicines and treatments instead of visiting their usual doctor, this is due to the rising costs of conventional medical treatments and medicines and the lack of trust, which results in people going for the alternative option. Both views will be discussed in the essay before presenting my opinion as to why this is negative development.

On the one hand, one of the main reason why this can be positive is that

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

You introduce the topic and give a relevant reason for the trend, linking alternative treatment to the cost of conventional care and a lack of trust. You also state that you consider the development negative. However, the response stops after beginning the first body paragraph, so it does not explain your position, provide supporting examples, or address the question in a developed way. The essay contains 75 words, which is 175 words below the required minimum; the 10 words copied from the prompt are excluded from this count. As a result, the task is addressed only minimally. To improve, complete the argument by explaining specific risks of replacing a doctor’s advice and supporting your view with relevant examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: the opening introduces the issue and your opinion, and “On the one hand” signals the start of a body paragraph. The ideas in the introduction also follow a recognisable sequence from the trend to possible causes and then your position. However, the paragraph beginning “On the one hand” ends mid-sentence, and there is no further development or conclusion, so the response has no complete progression. The phrase “Both views will be discussed” also promises a balanced discussion that the essay does not deliver. Develop each paragraph around one clear point, use linking phrases only when they accurately reflect the argument, and finish with a conclusion that restates your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “alternative medicines and treatments,” “health issues,” and “conventional medical treatments,” which makes the subject clear. There is also some variation in referring to people, such as “individuals.” However, the short response offers little evidence of a flexible range, and some phrasing is repetitive: “go for” and “going for” recur close together. “The alternative option” is also vague when a more precise term could identify the treatment or care being discussed. Build a wider set of accurate expressions for medical care and its risks, and avoid repeating general phrases. For example, you could distinguish between “complementary therapies,” “evidence-based treatment,” and “medical advice” where appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt a complex opening sentence by connecting the trend to its possible causes, and the meaning is generally understandable. However, the sentence joins two independent clauses with only a comma: “...usual doctor, this is due to...”; use a full stop, semicolon, or a suitable conjunction. There is also a singular–plural agreement error in “one of the main reason,” which should be “one of the main reasons,” and the phrase “this is negative development” needs an article: “this is a negative development.” The unfinished clause “one of the main reason why this can be positive is that” further limits the evidence of control. Practise accurate sentence boundaries and complete a range of sentence forms before adding complexity.

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