Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-02

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 the contemporary era, medical issues are rising significantly around the world. Many individuals are facing health issues, and with the passage of time, this figure has been on the rise. Many people with health problems visit their usual doctor monthly, while some people with health issues are trying alternative drugs and medical care instead of visiting their usual doctor. I argue that, it is a positive development in the individuals, because online treatment gives someone more flexibility.

On the one hand, the negative impact of alternatives are that, most individuals use medications without knowing the main health issue which can cause severe damages. Without visiting doctor, no one can identify the disease. X-rays, ultrasounds, ECG etc , these type of tests cannot be done by online methods. Alternative medicines and treatments decreases physical interactions with the doctors which cause incorrect diagnose of health issues.

On the other hand, the alternative medicines and treatments have very good effect on individuals. For example, the individuals can book online appointment with the doctors which saves time. Monthly checkup by usual doctors can be done through online appointments. This approach saves time of doctors as well, and doctors can treat more patient as compare to physical appointment.

In conclusion, the positive developments of alternatives overweigh the negative impacts of alternatives. By providing more flexibility and more time to doctors and patient is very beneficial. So, both techniques are equally important because several actions cannot be done online or through personal treatments, the visit to doctors is mandatory in serious conditions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is identifiable: you regard the development as positive because online care offers flexibility and saves time, while acknowledging that some conditions require in-person medical attention. You also address both benefits and risks, including the danger of taking medication without identifying the underlying illness. However, the response does not consistently distinguish alternative medicines from online appointments and treatment; these are not necessarily the same development, so the argument becomes unclear. The claim that doctors can treat more patients is relevant but needs explanation or a concrete example, and the conclusion’s statement that both techniques are equally important softens your stated preference without resolving it. Develop the comparison more fully and keep your position consistent.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph presenting risks, a paragraph explaining benefits, and a conclusion. The contrast markers “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” help readers follow the two sides. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear because ideas are linked mechanically or their relationship is not explained. For example, the discussion moves from alternative medicines to online tests and then to reduced physical interaction without clearly showing how these points relate. The conclusion also shifts from favouring alternatives to saying both techniques are equally important. Use more precise links between claims and explanations, and ensure each paragraph develops one central point before moving to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of health-related vocabulary, including “alternative medicines,” “health issues,” “X-rays,” “ultrasounds,” and “physical interactions.” This is enough to communicate the main ideas, but repetition of “health issues,” “individuals,” “alternatives,” and “doctors” limits flexibility. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or imprecise: “severe damages” is not natural in this context, “incorrect diagnose” uses the wrong form, and “positive development in the individuals” does not express your intended meaning clearly. “Alternative drugs and medical care” also blurs the distinction between alternative medicine and online consultations. Build a more precise range of expressions for treatments, diagnosis, and access to care, and check common word partnerships.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including the conditional clause “which can cause severe damages” and the relative clause “which saves time.” The main message is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “the negative impact of alternatives are” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “these type of tests” and “more patient” need plural forms. The opening opinion sentence also has awkward punctuation and structure: “I argue that, it is a positive development in the individuals, because…” In the conclusion, “By providing more flexibility and more time to doctors and patient is very beneficial” is not a complete, well-formed sentence. Practise accurate agreement, articles and plurals, and revise sentence boundaries and clause structure.

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