Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-31

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 days , a large number of individual with health conditions are taking different medications and remedies rather than seeing a doctor.In my opinion,this is negative development ,but i also believe that treating yorself at home for some dilemma should also be taken into consideration.

Increasing number of population taking medications at home without knowing the actual health problem can cause huge problem,a number of people die due to their own neglengence since they treat themselves at home without knowing the exact heath problem. To illustrate this a person who think he is having a pain in chest instead of seeing doctor the person taking some medication because they think its normal pain and take some medicines related to stomach .on the contarary this cause them a serious problem and when he ges and see the doctor it was too late sometimes and individual know that it is not some normal pain but myocardial infection.

However,taking treatment can lead serious issues it also helps with some big or small issues.Taking medicines to stop headache,or remedies at home for treating cough,flu is good sometimes a individual have cold if he take medicines at home it also leads them feel better. for instance if someone is having temperature and you dont know how to see adoctor it is good to treat at home so the temperature will reduced.This lead to reduce the risk.Having basic knowleged of the treatent is essential and it will help you in diificult times.

In concusion i believed that treating ypurself at home is not a safe option all the time you should see the doctor to know the exact problem but you should also know basic treatment it will helps you to overcome obstacles in which if you can find any physician.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you regard relying on alternative treatment instead of seeing a doctor as negative, while allowing that basic home care can be useful. You address both sides and give a relevant example of chest pain being mistaken for a stomach problem, which supports the risk of self-diagnosis. The discussion of treating a fever or a cold at home also adds balance. However, some ideas are less fully developed than others: the home-treatment example is unclear about when medical advice is needed, and the conclusion repeats your position without adding a final implication. To strengthen the response, explain more precisely which minor conditions may be managed at home and when a doctor should be consulted.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph explaining the dangers of self-treatment, a contrasting paragraph about minor ailments, and a conclusion. This helps the reader follow your main position. You also use linking expressions such as “To illustrate,” “However,” and “In conclusion.” At times, though, connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “However, taking treatment can lead serious issues it also helps” joins contrasting points without a clear sentence boundary, and “This lead to reduce the risk” does not make the reference or logic clear. Use one main idea per sentence, and make pronouns such as “this” refer unmistakably to a specific point. Clearer transitions between the example and your explanation would improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “health conditions,” “remedies,” “exact health problem,” and “myocardial infection,” and you attempt to express distinctions between serious and minor conditions. However, inaccurate word choice, spelling, and collocation sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow. Examples include “individual” where a plural is needed, “neglengence,” “dilemma” for an illness or condition, and “myocardial infection,” which is not the usual term for a heart attack. Some phrases, such as “taking different medications and remedies,” are also imprecise for the task’s focus on alternative treatments. Build accuracy by checking spelling and choosing standard health-related terms; this will make your ideas clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a conditional idea in “if he take medicines at home” and a contrast between self-treatment and visiting a doctor. However, sentence control is inconsistent, and errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and punctuation sometimes obscure the relationships between ideas. For example, “a large number of individual … are taking” has a number-agreement problem, while “a person who think” and “the temperature will reduced” use incorrect verb forms. Several sentences run together, as in “However, taking treatment can lead serious issues it also helps,” making the structure difficult to follow. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and verb forms, and separate independent clauses with full stops or appropriate conjunctions.

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