Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-06

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 5.0)

Dear Editor,

I am wriring this email to discuss ithye magazine about nfluenced me most.

Firstly, we should consider the importance of a magazine, which will contribute to the overall efficiency and well-being of the operation.

Also, if we take into account the likelihood of including contribution from its readers for an article called the book that influenced me most, it is expected to have a threefold effect for several reasons, including describing what this book was about, explaining how this book influenced me, and saying whether this book would be likely to influence other people.

Furthermore, explaining how this book influenced me should not be neglected as it can increase the chances of success, effectiveness, quality of life, and a positive environment.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Kind regards,

Alexa

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to address the core requirements of the prompt. While you mention the title of the article, you do not actually describe a specific book, explain how it influenced you, or discuss its potential to influence others. Instead, the letter consists of generic, repetitive statements about the 'importance of a magazine' and the 'efficiency of the operation.' This is largely off-topic and does not fulfill the task instructions. Furthermore, the response is under the 150-word minimum, which significantly impacts the score. To improve, you must focus on answering the specific bullet points provided in the prompt with concrete details and personal examples.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter is structured with an opening and closing, but the internal logic is weak. The paragraphs do not develop a coherent argument or narrative; they read as a series of disconnected, abstract sentences. While some cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'Firstly', 'Also', 'Furthermore'), they are used mechanically to link ideas that are not relevant to the task. The progression of ideas is unclear, and the overall arrangement of the text does not effectively guide the reader through the requested information.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and repetitive. You rely on generic phrases such as 'overall efficiency,' 'well-being of the operation,' and 'increase the chances of success,' which do not fit the context of a personal letter about a book. There are also spelling errors, such as 'wriring' and 'ithye.' The range of vocabulary is insufficient to express personal opinions or describe a literary work in any meaningful way. You need to expand your range of descriptive language and ensure that your word choices are appropriate for the specific topic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings that impede clarity. For example, 'I am wriring this email to discuss ithye magazine about nfluenced me most' is grammatically incorrect and confusing. There is a lack of variety in sentence structures, and the attempt to use complex sentences results in awkward, unnatural phrasing. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the frequent errors in basic sentence construction and word order suggest a limited control over grammatical structures.

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

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