Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-25

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)

Currently, raising number of population with health difficulties considering alternative medicines as well as treatments instead of visting their regular doctor. I think this is a negative development becasue taking medicines without doctors consultation can cause serious health issues as well as may damage our society deeply.

One of the most significant reason why I find this development concerning because taking medications without doctors suggestions may exert a detrimental impact instead of any improvements. This is primarely because,regular doctor gives medications while understanding the side effect of each medicines but when someone takes medicines that are not prescribed may contains side effect that might hearm badly. As a result, instead of recovering people with health issues may get involed with more serious problems. For example, when a person gets catch cold and without going to a doctor for medications starts taking medicines while not understanding the effects as well as intake amount may get affected or may not recover as early as should. Therefore, it is important to consult a doctor before taking any medicines so that no negetive impact happens.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

Your position is clear: you consider the trend negative, and you give a relevant reason—that medicines taken without professional advice may cause harm. The cold-medicine example also helps illustrate this concern. However, the task is only partially addressed: the response contains one main argument, and the possible effect on society is mentioned but not explained. The discussion also focuses almost entirely on medicines, with little consideration of alternative treatments or why people might choose them. The response is below the required 250 words, which limits the opportunity to develop and support your ideas. To strengthen the response, explain a second consequence, develop the example more precisely, and connect each point directly to your overall position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an opening states your view, followed by a paragraph explaining a health risk. Linking expressions such as “One of the most significant reason,” “As a result,” and “Therefore” show an effort to guide the reader through the argument. However, the progression is limited because nearly all the supporting material repeats the same point about taking medicine without advice. Some links are awkward or do not clearly express the relationship between ideas, and the long body paragraph would benefit from clearer sequencing. Use separate paragraphs for distinct reasons, and make each paragraph move from a clear point to an explanation and a relevant example. This would create a more developed overall progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt some topic-appropriate vocabulary, including “alternative medicines,” “side effect,” “prescribed,” and “detrimental impact.” These choices show an effort to discuss health risks rather than relying only on basic words. However, the range is limited and several spelling errors—such as “visting,” “becasue,” “primarely,” and “negetive”—make the writing less polished. Some combinations are also unnatural, for example “raising number of population” and “gets catch cold,” which can make the intended meaning harder to follow. Aim for accurate, natural collocations and check spelling carefully. More precise terms for treatments, medical advice, and potential harm would also help you express the argument with greater clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to use both simple and more complex sentences, including a reason clause beginning “because” and a result clause introduced by “As a result.” However, the range is limited, and complex sentences are often faulty. For example, “Currently, raising number of population…” is not a complete sentence, while “when someone takes medicines that are not prescribed may contains side effect” has problems with clause structure and verb agreement. There are also errors in articles, plurals, and punctuation, such as “the side effect of each medicines” and the missing space after the comma in “because,regular.” These errors sometimes make the reader work to understand the point. Practise building complete sentences and checking agreement and sentence boundaries.

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