Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-27

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)

DESPITE THE ADVANCE IN MEDICAL CHECKUP AND DIAGNOSTICS ,A RISING NUMBER OF POPULACE WHO HAVE CHRONIC ILLNESS ARE CHOOSING ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE AND TREATMENT INSTEAD OF VISITING HEALTH CARE EXPERTS.THE POSITIVE SIDE OF THIS INCLUDE LESS CAPITAL USE.HOWEVER SOME METHODS ARE SUPERSTITIOUS AND INEFFECTIVE WHICH MAY WORSEN THE PATIENT HEALTH FURTHER.

TO BEGIN WITH,HOSPITALS AND MEDICAL EXPERTS CHARGE A HEFTY PRICE FOR MEDICINE AND CHECKUPS WHICH MAY NOT BE ACESSIBLE TO EVERYONE. AS A RESULT SOME PEOPLE TRY OTHER METHODS WHICH REQUIRES LESS FINANCE AND IS AFFORDABLE.FOR EXAMPLE IN INDIA BIG PHARMEUCTICALS COMPANY CHARGE HIGHER MONEY FOR MEDICINE WHICH OTHER CHEAPER COMPANY PROVIDES THE SAME COMPOSITION AND IS AFFORDABLE.

HOWEVER SOME OF THE PEOPLE USE SOME SUPERSTITIOUS METHOD OR USE ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE WHICH MIGHT BE INEFFECTIVE,TO SOLVE OR CURE THE DISEASE WHICH CAN FURTHER WORSEN THE PATIENT CONDITION.SOME CHECKUPS AND METHODS ARE COSTLIER FOR GENERAL POPULATION AND THEY WANT TO CURE THE PATIENT IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE SO THEY PREFER OTHER METHODS WHICH IS SUPERSTIOUS AND TRY MEDICINE WITHOUT SOUND KNOWLEDGE.FOR EXAMPLE,IN NEPAL MANY UNEDUCATED AND POOR PEOPLE USE TANTRA MANTRA TO CURE THEIR DISEASE.THEY USE THE MEDICINE GIVEN BY TANTRIK.

IN CONCLUSION,ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT AND MEDICINE COULD EASE THE FINANCIAL BURDEN BUT WE MUST ALSO DO IT WITH THE SOUND KNOWLEDGE AND PROPER GUIDANCE OF THE EXPERTS.WHILE DOING SO SOME METHOD ARE NOT PRACTICAL AND COULD WORSEN THE SITUATION.IN MY VIEW WE SHOULD LOOK FOR ALTERNATIVE METHODS AS WELL BUT WHILE DOING SO WE MUST TAKE CONSIDERATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF APPROACH .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address the question and present a balanced position: alternative treatments may reduce costs, but ineffective or superstitious practices can worsen a patient’s condition. The India example supports the affordability point, while the Nepal example illustrates the risks of relying on unqualified healers. Your conclusion also makes your view clear: alternatives may be considered, but effectiveness and expert guidance matter. However, the discussion does not always distinguish clearly between lower-cost conventional medicines and alternative treatments, so the first example only partly supports the specific issue in the prompt. The risks are more fully explained than the potential benefits. Develop both sides more precisely, and explain when a treatment might be a safe, evidence-based alternative rather than simply a cheaper option.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the benefit and drawback, and a conclusion. The contrast signalled by “TO BEGIN WITH” and “HOWEVER” helps readers follow the main line of argument, and the examples are placed alongside the relevant points. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent organisation and shows some of the stronger progression associated with more flexible cohesion. However, connections within paragraphs can feel mechanical, and several ideas are repeated, particularly the points about cost and people choosing other methods. The long second body paragraph also combines reasons, consequences, and an example without clear internal steps. Use more precise links between claims and evidence, and organise each paragraph around one developed point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-relevant vocabulary, including “chronic illness,” “financial burden,” “ineffective,” and “proper guidance,” which helps communicate the central argument. There are also attempts at less common expressions such as “sound knowledge.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unclear, including “less capital use,” “hefty price for medicine,” and “worsen the patient health.” Spelling errors such as “acessible,” “pharmeucticals,” and “superstious” are noticeable and sometimes slow the reader. Some repetition of “method,” “medicine,” and “people” also limits precision. Build a more accurate set of phrases for discussing affordability, evidence, and medical care, and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrastive opening and clauses such as “which may not be accessible to everyone” and “which can further worsen the patient condition.” The main ideas are generally understandable, but some grammatical errors recur and occasionally make relationships between ideas less clear. For example, “some methods are not practical and could worsen the situation” has an unclear reference, while “some method are” shows a subject–verb agreement problem. Articles and possessives are also often missing, as in “the patient condition,” and punctuation is frequently absent or misplaced, especially around sentence boundaries. Work on accurate sentence boundaries, agreement, and possessive forms, while retaining your attempts to combine ideas into complex sentences.

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