Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-14

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 5.5)

Dear Sir,

i was going through some negative phases of my life and in that phase i came across a book fair happened in my university, where i thought to visit just to have a glance at the new books and suddenly, my eyes stopped by a book with a cover page of blue and white, and with some bolds words on it, THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING. I instantly felt the need to give it a read, i instantly grabbed it and go thorugh the index pages. It was those specific moments when i realized that i really need this book. So, i instantly purchased it and the next few weeks it made my mind boom with the thoughts that what actually wa swrong with my thoughts, which was eventually effecting my thpought process.

It influenced me in numeous ways to give suggestions and solutions to negative thought process and affirmations, i was giving to my ownself unconciously.

Therefore, i would surely recommend this to the one who is going through the same feelings as mine.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the main parts of the task: you identify *The Power of Positive Thinking*, describe how you found it, explain that it helped you reconsider negative thoughts, and recommend it to readers with similar experiences. However, the description of what the book is about remains vague; the reference to “suggestions and solutions” does not explain its main ideas or give a specific example of advice. The influence on you is also asserted more than illustrated, so the reader learns little about what changed in your actions or outlook. The recommendation is relevant, but its likely effect on other people is only briefly stated. Develop these points with concrete details and make the letter’s purpose clearer from the opening.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable sequence: you introduce your difficult period, recount finding the book, describe its effect, and end with a recommendation. Paragraph breaks help separate the story from the conclusion. However, the opening paragraph is a very long sentence chain, and repeated links such as “instantly” make the progression feel mechanical. Some connections between ideas are unclear, particularly the move from purchasing the book to saying it “made my mind boom.” The second paragraph is brief and does not clearly develop the influence before the final recommendation. Use shorter sentences to guide the reader through the discovery, the book’s content, and its effects, and make references such as “this” more specific.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “negative phases,” “positive thinking,” “thought process,” and “recommend,” and the book title makes the subject clear. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unclear, which sometimes makes the reader pause. For example, “my mind boom with the thoughts” does not express the intended effect naturally, while “eyes stopped by a book” and “give it a read” are awkward in this context. There are also noticeable spelling and word-form errors, including “numeous,” “thorugh,” and “unconciously.” Choose more precise expressions for the book’s impact and proofread spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to combine events and explanations in longer sentences, but these structures are often difficult to control, and the response relies heavily on one extended opening sentence. Errors in verb forms and sentence construction occur throughout: for example, “a book fair happened” and “i thought to visit” do not form natural grammatical patterns, while “i instantly grabbed it and go” shifts tense. Capitalisation and punctuation also need attention, including lowercase “i” and the run-on sequence of clauses in the first paragraph. These issues sometimes make the intended meaning harder to follow. Practise separating ideas into complete sentences and maintaining consistent past tense when narrating how you found and read the book.

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