Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-26

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 5.0)

Recently,youngsters with health problems are trying many medications,and treatments instead of visiting their doctor.

I believe that young people visiting other the people like the herblist or taking other medications to improve their wellness is of a great development. For instance,a person who have been suffering for hyper pyrori (ulcer) for a long period of time can decide to try other means of curing the sickness,he or she can decide other means by taking natural herbs .

From my own persperpective,i would recommend trying other alternatives,instead of visiting the same doctor regularly ,for instance a doctor who has been trying to cure one sickness or the other can refer you to other alternatives instead of being treated without a positive result ,because the patient will definietly be cured.

Visiting a regular doctor,can save one stress,thereby a professional doctor will try all his or her possible best to see you through all the whole process.For instance a person who is suffering from malaria and typhoid,instead of the health practioner to commence the treatment,he /she will be ask to run several test in other to detect what the problem is and equally recommend some drugs to subside and cure the sickness without anyside effect

Going to hospital to see their usual practictioner is a great idea,taking medications always recommended by their doctors are quite okay aswell,someone who is allergic to one sickness or the other, but i strongly believe that trying other alternatives is of great help because they will be healing for trying other drugs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You give a clear preference for trying alternatives, especially in the statements that this is “of a great development” and “of great help.” You also include examples involving herbal remedies and treatment for malaria and typhoid. However, the response only partially addresses the question because it shifts from the prompt’s focus on people choosing alternatives instead of their usual doctor to “youngsters,” and it does not consistently explain whether replacing medical care is beneficial or risky. The final paragraph also supports visiting a regular doctor, which makes your position difficult to follow. Develop a balanced but definite argument: explain the benefits you believe alternatives offer, then address risks such as delayed diagnosis or interactions with prescribed medicines.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The response has separate paragraphs and uses examples to support its points, so there is some basic organisation. However, the overall progression is difficult to follow: the opening introduces “youngsters,” the next paragraphs favour alternatives, and the final paragraph says visiting a usual doctor is “a great idea” before returning to alternatives. This creates an unclear line of argument. Linking phrases such as “For instance” and “because” are used, but connections between ideas are sometimes awkward or repetitive, and some sentences run together. Plan one main idea per paragraph and make each paragraph’s role clear—for example, state your position, explain one benefit, consider a risk, and conclude. Use transitions that show contrast and cause accurately.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “natural herbs,” “professional doctor,” “allergic,” and “side effect,” which helps communicate the subject. However, the range is limited and several expressions are repeated, particularly “other alternatives,” “sickness,” and “doctor.” Some word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unclear, such as “herblist,” “allergic to one sickness,” and “they will be healing for trying other drugs.” Spelling errors, including “persperpective,” “definietly,” and “practictioner,” also reduce precision. Build a more accurate set of health-related phrases and check spelling. For example, distinguish between an alternative treatment, a herbal remedy, a diagnosis, and a prescribed medication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt longer sentences with reasons and examples, using structures such as “because the patient…” and “instead of…,” but these complex attempts are often faulty. Errors in agreement and verb forms appear in “a person who have been suffering” and “he/she will be ask,” while sentence boundaries and punctuation are frequently unclear. For example, the opening paragraph contains a comma splice, and several sentences join multiple ideas without full stops. Articles and prepositions are also inconsistent, as in “suffering for hyper pyrori.” These errors sometimes make the intended meaning difficult to follow. Practise accurate simple sentences first, then combine them with controlled clauses using “although,” “because,” and “while.”

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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