Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-01

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 6.5)

Recently, most people suffering from health issues prefer to take alternative medicines and treatments rather than visiting a doctor. I firmly believe that it is a negative development because it has several notable disadvantages for both individuals and society.

First of all, many serious health problems have some initial symptoms, such as headache, nausia, fatigue and poor metabolism, that people usually overlook and take altenative medicines to gain a temporary relief, leading to the worsening of that problem. Alternative medicines may have some side effects that can result in other health issues, ultimately affecting negatively the overall health of a person. So, these medicines should not be used without consulting a doctor. In addition, a curable simple disease can turn into fatal health problem if someone continuously relies on alternative medicines and treatment. For example, my uncle had sufferred from severe stomachache for two years but he did not visit his doctor and relied on only some tablets and home treatments. As a result, in previous week he diagnosed with alcer in the stomach.

Furthermore, when an increasing number of people avoid to go to doctors and do not gain a proper treatment, it may produce a greater number of unproductive and less efficient citizens. Sick and unwell individuals are unable to achieve their academic, professional, and personal goals, leading to frustration and anxiety, also reducing the speed of economic and social development. Countries with a high proportion of healthy individuals appear as growing economies and more prosperous regions.

In conclusion, it is detrimental for people and society to rely entirely on alternative medicines and treatments insteat of consulting a doctor. This can hinder the success of people and prosperity of the society.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction: you consider reliance on alternative treatments a negative development, and the conclusion maintains this view. You address both individual and societal consequences, supporting the first with your uncle’s experience and explaining how illness may affect people’s academic and professional lives. These relevant points are extended enough to make the argument convincing overall. However, the societal argument is more general than the personal example, and the claim that healthy populations lead to prosperous economies would benefit from a clearer explanation of the link. You could also distinguish more carefully between using alternative treatments alongside medical advice and relying on them instead of seeing a doctor.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall progression: an introduction states your view, two body paragraphs develop individual and societal effects, and the conclusion restates the position. Paragraphing is appropriate, and signposts such as “First of all,” “Furthermore,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the argument. The example about your uncle is placed logically within the first main point. Some connections are less smooth, however: the move from the effects on individuals to economic development is broad, and the final sentence repeats the conclusion’s central idea without adding much. Aim to make links between claims explicit and vary transitions so that the structure remains clear without relying mainly on formulaic signposting.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “alternative medicines,” “side effects,” “curable,” “unproductive,” and “economic and social development.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and some less common expressions show an attempt to be precise. However, several spelling errors—“nausia,” “altenative,” “sufferred,” “alcer,” and “insteat”—reduce accuracy. There are also awkward or imprecise combinations, such as “gain a temporary relief,” “affecting negatively the overall health,” and “a greater number of unproductive and less efficient citizens.” Check spelling carefully and learn natural collocations; more precise wording would make the argument sound more fluent and controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, including a relative clause in “health problems … that people usually overlook” and a conditional construction in “if someone continuously relies on alternative medicines.” Most sentences remain understandable, and the errors do not prevent the reader from following your argument. Some grammatical inaccuracies persist, particularly in verb forms and sentence construction: “my uncle had sufferred” should use the correct past participle, and “in previous week he diagnosed” needs an article and a passive verb form. The sentence beginning “Sick and unwell individuals” also has an unclear connection between “leading to” and “reducing.” Practise accurate past-tense and passive forms, and check that long sentences clearly connect each clause.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.