Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-19

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 7.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to contribute to your magazine article 'The book that influenced me most'. The book that has had the greatest impact on me is 'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho.

This book is about a young shepherd named Santiago who dreams to find a hidden treasure. During his journey he meets a lot of people who teach him important lessons about following his dream, overcoming difficulties and encourage him to have faith in him.

This book influenced me by making me confident and calm while facing the challenges and hurdles. It taught me that all difficulties and failure are the opportunities to learn the lesson from it and improve ourselves.

I believe this book could be relevant to many people's lives and backgrounds due to which it could influence others especially youngsters.

Thank you for considering my contribution and I hope this could be suitable for your article.

Yours faithfully

Anjali

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly described the book, explained its personal influence, and provided a logical reason why it would influence others. The tone is appropriate for a magazine contribution, and the purpose of the letter is clear from the outset. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly more on the specific 'lessons' learned or provide a more vivid example of how the book changed your perspective, as the current explanation is somewhat general. Overall, the task is fully addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized, with each paragraph focusing on a specific requirement of the task. The progression of ideas is smooth, moving from the introduction to the plot summary, then to the personal impact, and finally to the conclusion. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'During his journey' and 'due to which' to link ideas. While the flow is clear, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat simple. To improve, try incorporating a wider variety of linking words or transition phrases to connect your sentences more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using words like 'contribute', 'hidden treasure', and 'hurdles' effectively. The language is natural and appropriate for the context. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in collocation and word choice, such as 'encourage him to have faith in him' (should be 'himself') and 'learn the lesson from it' (which is slightly redundant). To achieve a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and slightly more sophisticated vocabulary to express your ideas with greater nuance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. Most of your sentences are clear and easy to follow. There are a few minor grammatical slips, such as 'dreams to find' (should be 'dreams of finding') and 'due to which it could influence' (which is a bit clunky). Punctuation is generally accurate, though ensure you use a comma after the closing 'Yours faithfully'. Your control of grammar is good, and these minor errors do not impede communication.

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

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