Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-12

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 hope you’re doing well.

Thank you for this opportunity to tell me what book have influenced me the most. I will say The Rich Dad and Poor Dad will be the one.

So, This book is regarding the mindset of two people and the life they lived and how they managed finances. It goes like how rich people becoming more rich and poor people are getting poorer. Child of rich person is seeing and taking possible measures to succeed and the child of poor is seeing everything as a hurdle and delaying everything.

This book influenced me in a way to see the world with opportunity instead of seeing the world how most people see it. Rich person see how he can get more and the other-way around.

This book will surely influence people for aiming for a strong mindset which takes risk and responsibility too. How to see opportunity before anyone else sees it.

I hoped you like the input.

Thank you

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all three bullet points of the prompt: describing the book, explaining its influence, and discussing its potential impact on others. However, the development of these ideas is quite limited. For instance, the explanation of how the book influenced the writer is somewhat repetitive and lacks specific examples of personal change. The description of the book's content is also quite basic, relying on general statements rather than a clear summary. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your points with more specific details or personal anecdotes to fully develop your ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite mechanical and limited. Transitions between sentences are often abrupt, such as the start of the second paragraph with 'So, This book is...'. The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the flow between ideas could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'furthermore', 'consequently', 'in addition') to create a more natural progression of thought.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'getting poorer', 'seeing everything', and 'how most people see it' lack precision and sophistication. There are also some minor errors in word choice, such as 'tell me what book have influenced me' (should be 'has influenced') and 'Rich person see' (should be 'A rich person sees'). To improve, try to incorporate more varied and precise vocabulary related to personal growth and financial concepts.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writing contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex sentences, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('Rich person see', 'child of poor is seeing'), incorrect tense usage ('what book have influenced'), and awkward phrasing ('I hoped you like the input'). While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and subject-verb agreement will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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