Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-13

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 6.0)

Dear Sir,

I have read your letter and I see that you want me to give my opinion on an article called 'The book that influenced me most'. Personally, this story has affected me positively and I believe it will also help other people in their lives.

The story is all about prayer. It encourages people to pray about everything in their lives and not dwell on things they can see physically only. The writer also tells us the importance of prayer in our lives and gives us different methods of praying. If you do not know how to pray or you are a beginner in praying, the book will be a great benefit to you.

In addition, the book helps me to be devoted to reading my bible and also attending church services regularly. The writer also did a great job by writing some words of encouragement at the back of the page. Reading those words everyday keeps me motivated.

This book will have some positive effects on people's lives by giving them directions whenever they do not know what descision to make on certain things. For example, when someone offends you and you decided not to forgive the person, once you read the book, you will see reasons why it is good to forgive.

I look forward to hearing from you so that I can tell you more about the book.

Yours faithfully,

Oluwaseun Bello.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you describe the book’s focus on prayer, explain its effect on your Bible reading and church attendance, and say it could help others make decisions and forgive. These details make the response relevant and give the editor a clear sense of your personal experience. However, the book itself is not identified by title or author, and some claims about its effect on other readers remain broad. The example about forgiveness helps, but you could explain more specifically how the book’s advice led you to act differently. The opening also refers to “your letter,” although the prompt is an invitation to contribute. A more direct introduction and fuller development of the book’s influence would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph describing the book, a paragraph about its personal influence, and a final paragraph on its possible effect on others. Connectors such as “In addition” and “For example” help signal the relationships between ideas, and the closing is appropriate. Some links are less precise or slightly mechanical, however. For instance, “The writer also” repeats the same reference, while “This book” begins the next paragraph without a particularly smooth transition. The opening sentence about having read the editor’s letter also interrupts the direct progression from the invitation to your chosen book. Use clearer references and transitions that show how each point develops from the previous one.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “devoted,” “motivated,” “encouragement,” and “forgive,” which communicate your ideas clearly. There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “methods of praying” and “positive effects.” Some word choices and collocations are less natural or precise: “give my opinion on an article” does not quite fit a reader contribution about a book, and “directions” is vague when you mean guidance in making decisions. There are spelling errors in “descision” and “everyday” (when used to mean “every day”). Aim for more exact phrasing and check spelling carefully; this would make the letter sound more fluent and polished without changing its accessible tone.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including conditional structures such as “If you do not know how to pray…” and “whenever they do not know what … to make.” Most sentences are understandable, and errors rarely prevent the reader from following your meaning. Some grammatical slips remain. In “the book helps me to be devoted to reading my bible and also attending,” the parallel structure would be clearer as “devoted to reading … and attending.” In “when someone offends you and you decided not to forgive,” the verb forms do not match; use “decides.” The phrase “you will see reasons” also needs an article or a more natural construction, such as “you will see the reasons.” Greater consistency in verb forms and parallel phrasing would improve accuracy.

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

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