Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-11

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

A magazine wants to include contributions from its readers for an article called 'The book that influenced me most'.

Write a letter to the editor of the magazine about the book that influenced you most. In your letter

- describe what this book was about
- explain how this book influenced you
- say whether this book would be likely to influence other people

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 7.0)

Dear Sir or Madam

I am writing to contribute to your article called, 'The book that influenced me the most'.

The book that influenced me the most is titled, 'How to become a successful enterprenuer'. It was written by Carlton Tinashe.I read this book in January of this year and it has changed my life.The book describes how you can start your own business in simple steps. It goes on to explain how to effectively manage the business.

After reading the book, I decided to implement the teachings in real life. It influenced me to start my transport business which is currently doing exceptionally well. I started with one taxi and after implementing skills from the book, I managed to purchase two more taxis. I managed to clear my debts using the profit from my business.

I think this book will definitely influence other people because it is gaining a lot positive customer reviews online. Apparently, many people are now launching their business after getting inspiration and encouragement from the book.

I hope you will find time to review this book as well.

Yours faithfully

Carlton

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The letter addresses all three required points and maintains a clear, relevant focus. You explain the book’s subject—starting and managing a business—then show its personal effect through specific outcomes: launching a transport business, expanding from one taxi to three, and clearing debts. You also give a reason it may influence others, referring to positive online reviews and readers starting businesses. These details make the response convincing and well supported. To develop the final point more fully, explain briefly why the book’s practical guidance could appeal to people beyond your own circumstances, rather than relying mainly on reviews and a general claim about readers. The purpose and appropriate letter format are clear throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information is organised in a clear progression: you introduce the book, describe its content, explain its effect on you, and then consider its influence on others. The paragraphing supports this sequence, and links such as “After reading the book” and “because” make relationships between ideas easy to follow. The closing sentence and sign-off also complete the letter appropriately. Cohesion is generally effective, though some connections are quite basic, and “I managed” is repeated in the account of your business progress. You could vary this phrasing and use a more explicit transition into the point about other readers. These refinements would make the flow more flexible while preserving the clear structure already present.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the topic and communicates the main ideas clearly, with useful phrases such as “implement the teachings,” “manage the business,” and “positive customer reviews.” There is some attempt at more specific language, including “transport business” and “profit.” However, several expressions are broad or slightly unnatural, such as “a lot positive customer reviews” and “launching their business,” and the title contains the spelling error “enterprenuer.” “Influenced me the most” is also repeated several times. More precise collocations and a wider range of wording for business guidance and personal impact would improve flexibility and accuracy. These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding your message.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and more developed sentence forms, and several sentences are controlled accurately, including “The book describes how you can start your own business in simple steps” and “I managed to clear my debts using the profit from my business.” The past-tense account is generally clear, while the present tense appropriately describes the book and its current success. Some errors remain in punctuation and sentence boundaries: “Carlton Tinashe.I read” needs a space after the full stop, and “life.The book” needs the same correction. The phrase “a lot positive customer reviews” also has a missing grammatical element. Greater care with spacing and sentence editing, alongside continued use of varied structures, would strengthen accuracy.

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