Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-18

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 Sir or Madam,

I am writing to inform you about a book that influenced me most. I hope you will publish it in the magazine.

I recently came to read an English novel written by Aristotle in his late 70s. It is a horror novel and the main character of this novel is a small dog called Tofu. He is an energetic and enthusiastic dog. The novel narrate about an unexpected tragedy which occurred in his life.

The life of the dog in this book is similar to mine. This is why it influenced me a lot. The dog in this novel have a specific skill of finding crimes. Similarly, I am also interested in finding out solutions for the crime cases.

The novel is very intersting o the readers

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses all three bullet points, but the development of ideas is insufficient. The description of the book is brief, and the explanation of its influence is somewhat superficial. Furthermore, the response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the ability to fully develop the ideas as required for a higher band. The content is also factually confusing, as Aristotle is a philosopher, not a novelist, and the genre description is inconsistent. To improve, you should expand on your personal connection to the book and provide more detailed examples of how it influenced your perspective or actions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter follows a basic structure with an opening and a logical flow between the paragraphs. However, the use of cohesive devices is very limited and mechanical. There is a lack of linking words to connect ideas within sentences and between paragraphs, making the text feel somewhat disjointed. Paragraphing is present, but the brevity of the response makes the overall organization feel underdeveloped. To improve, try using a wider range of transition words such as 'consequently,' 'furthermore,' or 'in addition' to create a smoother progression of ideas throughout the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is quite basic and repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'novel' and 'dog.' There are also some errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'intersting' and 'o' instead of 'to.' The range of vocabulary is limited, which restricts your ability to convey more nuanced ideas about the book's influence. To reach a higher band, you should aim to incorporate more descriptive adjectives and topic-specific vocabulary related to literature and personal growth, while ensuring accurate spelling and appropriate collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('The novel narrate,' 'The dog... have'), which occasionally hinder the clarity of the message. While the meaning is generally understandable, the lack of complex sentence structures limits the grammatical range. To improve, focus on mastering subject-verb agreement and attempt to use a variety of sentence types, including complex sentences with relative clauses or conditional structures, to demonstrate better control over English grammar.

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