Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 or Madam,

I am writing this letter about the book “The Subtle Art of not giving a bleep”. It was written by Mr. Mark Taylor and it was best selling book of 2025.

Firstly, the focal point of book is about plethora of situtitions that person encounters during the lifespan. The book teaches readers to filter out and concentrate on problems which are more crucial for them. Everyone is going to encounter problems, but how quickly and efficiently we deal with it, is the most crucial. The book also resolves around backward theory, which stats that the more we think about negatives constantly, the chances of it’s happening increases.

Secondly, this book has helped me to change my approach to solve any problem. It also teaches readers about being puntual to routine and how physical activities such as yoga, a gym, a swimming and other activities helps reduces stress.

Furthermore, I strongly believe that this book can play crucial role to readers from different age groups. The book trains our brain on how to approach, filter and solve any problems.

Therefore, I would request you to publish my review for this book. Should you require more details, I am happy to help you.

Kind regards,

Neel.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all three bullet points of the task: describing the book, explaining its influence, and discussing its potential impact on others. The tone is appropriate for a magazine contribution. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For example, when explaining how the book influenced you, you mention 'being punctual to routine' and 'physical activities' like 'a gym' or 'a swimming', which feel slightly disconnected from the book's core theme of 'not giving a bleep'. To reach a higher band, ensure that your supporting details are more directly linked to the specific influence of the book mentioned.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Furthermore' to signal the progression of your ideas. While the structure is coherent, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical. For instance, the transition between the book's theory and your personal application could be smoother. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different requirements of the prompt, which helps the reader follow your argument easily.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your meaning, using terms like 'focal point', 'plethora', and 'crucial'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'resolves around' (should be 'revolves around'), 'stats' (should be 'states'), and 'a gym, a swimming' (these are not used correctly as countable nouns in this context). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise control over word forms and collocations to reach a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'it was best selling book' (missing article 'the'), 'how quickly and efficiently we deal with it, is' (unnecessary comma), and 'it’s happening' (incorrect use of apostrophe for possessive 'its'). Additionally, 'a gym, a swimming' shows a lack of control over article usage. While these errors are frequent, they rarely impede the reader's understanding of your message. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles.

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