Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

In recent years, a substantial number of individuals regarding health issues are using different therapies and medicine by themselves without taking permission from their personal health care workers.From my perspective, it is a negative development , therefore we made some solutions to solve this issue completely.In this essay i can discuss the problems as well as solution.

On the one hand, many people consider that it is not necessary to consult their doctor when they are suffering from any kind of pain.They ignore their health issue additionally, they take any pain relieving medicine to settle their pain, which is not a appropriate treatment.Sometime it is effective, so they temporarily block the pain ,but it is not a proper solution .For instance, in Pakistan,mostly youngsters who are students they can mostly take medicine without any consultation because they have alot of pressure of studies.Therefore, they don't give proper time to their health issues.

On the other hand,there are also some patients who do alternative therapies to recover faster without taking permission from their physiotherapist when they suffer any kind of neck pain or any leg cramp, they mostly prefer the treatment by themselves.For example,mostly old age women sometimes watches the youtube tutorial of different influencers who are doing exercise and told that zoing this can decrease their pain immediately.Moreover, they donot know about the consequences, it can affects their neck alignment as well as it also pulls any muscle which is hazardously and sometimes stiffness of neck get worst.

Furthermore, Firstly there is a solution which is that government make campaigns about this serious issue and aware the public.Secondly, doctors and healthcare sectors made videos on social media to aware their patients and local people about the consequences of taking medicine by their own and also physically they tell their patients.

In conclusion, there is a deterimantal effects and it is a negative development .In this i can discuss both problems and solution of regarding this serious issue.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you regard self-directed alternative treatment as a negative development. You address the topic with relevant concerns, including temporary pain relief masking a problem and exercises potentially worsening neck or muscle injuries. The examples about students in Pakistan and older women following online tutorials help make these points concrete. However, the discussion of solutions and the conclusion do not fully develop the argument: the proposed campaigns and doctors’ videos are mentioned briefly, and the conclusion mainly repeats that the trend is harmful. To strengthen the response, explain more precisely why people avoid doctors and develop the consequences or examples further, while keeping the focus on whether the development is positive or negative.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs, a paragraph of proposed solutions, and a conclusion. The contrast between “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” helps signal the two concerns, and examples generally follow the points they illustrate. However, progression is sometimes difficult to follow: the opening promises a discussion of “problems as well as solution,” while the body paragraphs shift between self-medication and unsupervised exercise without clearly linking them to the overall position. Connectors such as “Moreover,” “Therefore,” and “Furthermore, Firstly” are sometimes mechanical or awkwardly combined. Use clearer topic sentences and refer back explicitly to the central argument so each paragraph has a distinct role.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “alternative therapies,” “consult their doctor,” “consequences,” and “neck alignment.” These choices make the subject clear, and some less common terms show an effort to be precise. However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or repetitive, as in “medicine by themselves,” “settle their pain,” and “a deterimantal effects.” Spelling and word forms such as “alot,” “donot,” and “hazardously” also reduce accuracy. Aim for natural combinations and check spelling: for example, use “take medication without medical advice,” “relieve their pain,” and “harmful effects.” This would make your meaning smoother and more precise without requiring unnecessarily complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “when,” “because,” and “which,” and the reader can generally understand your main points. However, control is inconsistent, particularly in longer sentences. Examples include “it is not a appropriate treatment,” “it can affects their neck alignment,” and “old age women sometimes watches,” where articles, verb forms, and subject–verb agreement are incorrect. Punctuation and spacing also make sentence boundaries unclear, as in the opening and several body paragraphs. Practise building accurate sentences first, then combine ideas using subordinate clauses. Pay particular attention to agreement, articles, and keeping each sentence from becoming a chain of loosely connected clauses.

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