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 today's world, a significant number of people with health problems are trying alternative medicines and treatments to cure their diseases instead of visiting their doctors. I think, this is a positive development to some extent if people do it in an effecient careful manner.

First reason is that a lot of people try home remedies to treat their health problems and this leads to less usage of medicines and less affect on their liver and kidneys because almost every medicine affect your kidneys and liver ultimately. Additionally, using alternative treatments cost you less and you can save a significant amout of money. For instace, if you suffered from viral flu or fever and you just took herbal tea or any other remedy instead of going to doctor which might prescribe you medicines that may be costly and affect your internal organs too.

But trying treatments at home should be only for a mild health condition and if you have a condition that needs an immediate intervention then you should definitely go to a physician and if you do not take it seriously, it migh get worsen and negatively effect your daily life. Let's say, if a person has a heart problem such as hypertion then he should consult a doctor as soon as possible so that a doctor can assess his condition and suggest him a treatment and preventive measures.

In conclusion, treating a common or mild health condition at home is a very good thing because it will save your time and money, but if there is a serious problem or a condition which needs an immediate assessment then it should not be delayed intentionally.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you see alternative treatment as positive when used carefully for mild conditions, but not as a substitute for medical care in serious cases. You address both sides of this distinction and support them with examples involving flu, fever, and a heart condition. The discussion of saving money and avoiding possible effects on organs is relevant, although the claim that almost every medicine affects the liver and kidneys is too broad and would benefit from qualification or evidence. The serious-condition point is also less fully developed than the benefits. To strengthen the response, explain more precisely when self-treatment is appropriate and why delaying professional diagnosis can be dangerous. The length requirement is met; 12 words copied from the task prompt were not counted.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: it introduces your qualified position, presents benefits, contrasts these with the risks of treating serious conditions at home, and concludes by restating the distinction. Paragraphing helps the reader follow this progression, and examples are placed alongside the relevant points. However, some links feel mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “Additionally,” “But,” and “In conclusion.” The first body paragraph also combines two benefits without clearly separating or developing them, while the transition from general claims to the examples could be smoother. Use a wider range of linking methods, including clear reference to earlier ideas, and make each paragraph’s central point more explicit to improve the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “alternative treatments,” “immediate intervention,” “assess his condition,” and “preventive measures.” These choices show an attempt to use more specific language than basic everyday terms. However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision, such as “effecient,” “amout,” “instace,” and “hypertion.” Some phrases are also awkward or imprecise: “less affect on their liver and kidneys” and “a very good thing” could be expressed more naturally and specifically. The range is adequate to communicate your argument, but greater accuracy with spelling, collocation, and formal phrasing would make it more effective. Proofread carefully and learn common health-related word combinations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including conditional structures such as “if you have a condition that needs an immediate intervention” and a relative clause in “medicines that may be costly.” Most of the argument remains understandable, but some grammatical errors occur. For example, “I think, this is” has incorrect punctuation, and “almost every medicine affect” has a subject–verb agreement error. In “if you suffered from viral flu or fever,” the tense does not fit the general example, and “a doctor can assess his condition and suggest him a treatment” has an awkward grammatical pattern. Work on agreement, articles, verb forms in general statements, and sentence punctuation while continuing to use varied sentence structures.

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