Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

In recent years, an increasing number of people have started using alternative medicines and treatments rather than counsulting a doctor. Although some people believe that these treatments are beneficial, I consider this is a negative development because they may not provide proper medical care and can lead to serious health problem.

On the main reasons why people choose alternative treatments is that they believe these methods are natural and have fewer side effects. For example,some people prefer herbal medicines and traditional therapies because they have been used for generations. In addition,these days moderen equipment and diagnosing procedure are being expensive and time consuming process alternative treatments may be less expensive than modern medical treatments .As a result, people from low-income familes may find them more affordable.

However, relying one alternative medicines and treatment instead of counsulting a qualified doctors can be dangerous.This happens because some health conditions require proper diagnosis and immsdiate medical attention. If people depend only on traditional remedies,they may delay necessary treatment, which an make their conditions worse. For instance, patients suffering from serious heart problems or diabete need regualr medical check-up and appropriate medication. Alternative treatments alone may not be sufficient to manage these conditions.in few backward areas the people were provided with medical camps or funds which they can redeem and get better government provided facilities for loe prices or for free.

In conclusion, although alternative medicines may offer some benefits,I believe that avoiding professional medical advice is a negative development. people should consult qualified doctors to recieve proper treatment and use alternative therapies only when they are considered safe and suitable

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you regard replacing a doctor’s care with alternative treatments as negative, and you support this with the risk of delayed diagnosis and the needs of people with heart problems or diabetes. You also acknowledge why people choose these treatments, including perceived naturalness and affordability, so the response addresses both sides of the question. To make the argument more fully developed, explain more precisely how affordability leads people to avoid doctors and distinguish using alternative therapies alongside medical care from using them instead. The final point about medical camps and government facilities is relevant to access, but its connection to your main argument is not made clear. More explanation and a sharper link between examples and your position would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction states your view, separate paragraphs present reasons for and against alternative treatment, and a conclusion restates your position. Linking expressions such as “For example,” “In addition,” and “However” help signal the direction of the argument. However, some connections are unclear or mechanical. The sentence about expensive diagnostic procedures runs several ideas together, while the point about medical camps appears abruptly at the end of the paragraph and is not clearly tied to the preceding discussion. Use clearer sentence boundaries and explain how each example supports the paragraph’s main point. More precise referencing and smoother transitions would make the progression easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “alternative treatments,” “proper diagnosis,” “medical attention,” and “low-income families.” These choices allow you to communicate the main argument, and there are attempts at more specific language such as “traditional therapies” and “appropriate medication.” However, spelling errors and inaccurate or awkward word combinations are noticeable, for example “counsulting,” “moderen,” “immsdiate,” and “regualr.” Phrases such as “diagnosing procedure” and “serious health problem” are also imprecise in context. Build accuracy by checking spelling and learning common collocations, such as “diagnostic procedures” and “serious health problems.” This would make your vocabulary more reliable and natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex structures, including a concession with “Although” and a conditional sentence beginning “If people depend only on traditional remedies.” These structures help express contrast and consequences. However, some sentence patterns are faulty or incomplete, and punctuation sometimes makes the meaning harder to follow. For example, “On the main reasons why people choose…” lacks a correct main-clause structure, and the sentence about equipment and procedures being expensive combines several clauses without clear boundaries. There are also errors in agreement and articles, as in “a qualified doctors,” and the final paragraph begins a sentence with lowercase “people.” Review sentence construction, agreement, and punctuation, while continuing to practise complex sentences.

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