Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-07-27

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 or Madam

I am writing this letter to tell you that I have seen an advertisement about the training course which I want to pursue and that will be beneficial for my career and the company's growth.

This course is based on developing software and in this programme, they will teach how AI and other latest software can help to develop applications and websites in an easy way in minimum time. Because this training is in class. I need some leave, so I can study better and finish this course. Moreover, as our company help employees with fees for learning. I also want to apply for reimbursement for this certification. After completion of this curriculum. I will have the knowledge of the latest technology which will help me and the company both to compete in the market.

Please tell me your decision as soon as possible. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Humaira Mukta.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response fails to address the task requirements entirely. The prompt explicitly asks for a letter to a magazine editor about a book that influenced the writer. Instead, the student has written a formal request to an employer regarding a training course and reimbursement. Because the content is completely off-topic and does not address any of the bullet points (describing a book, explaining its influence, or discussing its impact on others), it cannot be assessed as a successful response to the specific task provided. In an actual exam, this would be considered a memorised or irrelevant response, leading to a very low score for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organised into paragraphs, and there is a basic attempt at logical flow within the context of the (incorrect) topic. The student uses some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover' and 'After completion of', which help connect the sentences. However, the overall progression is limited by the fact that the content is irrelevant to the prompt. The paragraphing is functional, but the lack of relevance to the task makes the coherence feel disjointed from the reader's perspective. To improve, ensure that the content directly answers the specific questions posed in the prompt.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for a formal letter, with phrases like 'beneficial for my career', 'reimbursement', and 'compete in the market'. However, the range is quite limited and repetitive. There is little evidence of less common lexical items or sophisticated collocations. The vocabulary is functional but basic, and it does not demonstrate the flexibility required for higher bands. To improve, try to incorporate more varied vocabulary related to the specific topic (in this case, literature and personal influence) rather than relying on generic business terminology.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'I am writing this letter to tell you that I have seen an advertisement...'. There are several grammatical errors, including sentence fragments like 'Because this training is in class.' and 'After completion of this curriculum.', which should be connected to the main clause. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the misuse of full stops where commas should be used. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors and the limited control over complex structures prevent a higher score.

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