Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-04

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 6.5)

Dear Sir,

I am writing this letter to inform you about a book that highly persuaded me, and want it to be included in your upcoming article - The book that influenced me most.

The name of the book is 'Keep going' by SK Mathur. It is a motivational story about a sportsman, who was dealing with cancer in the most crucial phase of his life, and, how he kept on moving ahead to accomplish his goals.

I could easily relate with this book, as I was dealing with a physical injury in the past. Consequently, I was on a bed rest for several months, losing my hope for recovery. But, after reading this book, I felt highly motivated, and my life changed in a positive way.

I am very sure that this book will have a similar impact on lives of other readers, as well. And inclusion of such books will provide a good reach to emerging readers, who are struggling in their lives.

I will hope to listen back from you at your earliest convenience.

Thanks,

Abhinav

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You described the book's content, explained its personal influence, and provided a clear opinion on its potential impact on others. The tone is appropriate for a letter to an editor, and the purpose is clear from the outset. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly more on the specific ways the book influenced your mindset, perhaps by describing a particular lesson or philosophy from the text that helped you overcome your injury. This would add more depth to your personal reflection.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which helps the reader follow your ideas easily. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Consequently' and 'But' to link your thoughts. However, the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that transitions between sentences are smoother. For example, the transition between your personal experience and the recommendation for other readers could be more seamlessly integrated.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using words like 'crucial', 'accomplish', and 'convenience' correctly. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'highly persuaded me' (which is slightly unnatural in this context; 'deeply inspired' would be better) and 'provide a good reach' (which is not standard collocation). While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your message clearly, incorporating more precise or sophisticated collocations would elevate your writing to a higher band level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, and your meaning is consistently clear. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'I will hope to listen back from you' (should be 'I look forward to hearing from you') and 'on a bed rest' (the article 'a' is unnecessary here). Additionally, there are some minor punctuation errors, such as the comma usage in 'and, how he kept on moving'. Despite these errors, they do not impede communication, and you show a good grasp of basic sentence construction.

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

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