Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-29

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)

In today's rapidly changing world, health problems are a matter of a considerable debate. In these days, mostly people are preferring to use different medicines and treatments instead of getting treatment from their usual doctor. I believe this is a negative development because it could worse our health condition and leads to complication of other health probelms.

One of the primary reasons this is a negative development is that taking medicines without recommendation from a professional doctor could worsen our condition. This is because we can't understand the anatomy of our body than our doctor and which treatment is best suitable at that stage of disease. As a result, which could get worse with some treatments or alternative medicines. For instance, some cancer patients don't have a strong immune system that's why doctor use medicines to make their condition better before giving them chemotherapy. If a patient start getting chemotherapy with low immune system without consulting their doctor, it could leads to more complicated condition.

Secondly, this development can lead to complication of other health conditions too. This is because some medicines are not recommended for people with specific health condition. For instance, if a patient with high blood pressure issue starts taking medicine for his liver condition without consulting with his doctor, and that medicine cannot be use with high blood pressue issue then it could negatively affect the health of patient. Therefore, it is evident that taking medicines without consulting with doctor could make your situation worse instead of making it better. I believe, if you are not satisfied with service of your doctor or their recommended treatment is not working for you, then you should consult with another specialist instead of taking alternative medicines or treatment on your own.

In conclusion, taking medicines or difefrent treatment withoit consulting with your doctor is a negative development because it could harm your health and leads to complication of other underlying issues too.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction: you consider replacing a usual doctor with alternative treatments a negative development, and the conclusion reinforces this view. You address the question with two relevant reasons—self-treatment may worsen an illness, and medicines may interact badly with other conditions—and support them with examples involving cancer treatment and high blood pressure. This meets the task well. To make the response more fully developed, explain the examples more precisely and avoid presenting hypothetical medical outcomes as certain. The second reason, in particular, could be extended by clarifying how professional advice helps identify risks or interactions. Your suggestion to seek another specialist is a useful qualification, but its connection to the main argument could be made more explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your view, two body paragraphs present separate reasons, and the conclusion restates your position. The progression from risks to the patient’s existing conditions is logical, and signposts such as “One of the primary reasons,” “Secondly,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the argument. Some linking is repetitive, especially the repeated “This is because” and “For instance,” and the long sentence beginning “For instance, if a patient with high blood pressure…” becomes difficult to track. Use a wider range of transitions and divide complex examples into shorter sentences. Clearer referencing would also help, as “that medicine” and “it” require readers to infer exactly what each refers to.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “immune system,” “chemotherapy,” “underlying issues,” and “specialist,” which helps communicate your argument. However, the range and control are uneven, with several noticeable word-choice, collocation, and spelling problems. Phrases such as “a matter of a considerable debate,” “worse our health condition,” and “complication of other health problems” are not natural or precise in this context. There are also spelling errors, including “probelms,” “pressue,” “difefrent,” and “withoit.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce fluency and sometimes make the meaning less exact. Aim to use accurate medical collocations and check spelling carefully; more precise phrasing would strengthen an otherwise relevant vocabulary base.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, using clauses with “because,” “if,” and “instead of,” and the overall meaning remains understandable. However, errors occur across sentence structures and verb forms, so control is not yet consistent. For example, “it could worse our health condition” needs a verb form after “could,” while “it could leads” incorrectly combines a modal with a third-person verb. In “If a patient start getting chemotherapy,” the verb does not agree with the singular subject, and “that medicine cannot be use” has an incorrect passive form. Some sentences also lack a clear grammatical connection, such as “As a result, which could get worse…” Practise modal constructions, subject–verb agreement, and complete clause formation, then proofread for articles and punctuation.

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