Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear sir,

I am writing this to share my experience reading one of the most influential book of all time, ‘The bhagvat geeta’.

Bhagvat geeta is a holy book concerning the hindu religion. The book contains teachings and life lessons from actual lives of gods. Even though the book is categorised as a piece of religious literature, it is considered influential and relevant even in modern times. The book has made a significant impact on my understanding of the human life. Not only has it been engaging to read , the book has altered my perception of how i evaluate my daily life. The teaching of performing karma while not bothering oneself with results is the one i resonate with the most. I believe that bhagvat geeta, despite being a religious piece of literature, can impact people in a positive sense. Even non hindu people can enjoy the book as the teaching are universal.

I appreciate your time and patience and hope to hear from you soon!

Your sincerely

Jhone mayor

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 brief. For instance, while you mention the concept of 'karma', explaining it in slightly more detail would have provided a more thorough response. The letter follows the required format, though the opening 'Dear sir' is slightly informal compared to the requested 'Dear Sir or Madam'. Overall, the response is relevant and covers the requirements well.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized, with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Even though' and 'Not only has it been', which help the flow of ideas. However, the transition between sentences could be smoother in some places. The paragraphing is appropriate for a short letter, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. To reach a higher band, ensure that cohesive devices are used more consistently to link ideas across sentences.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'influential', 'categorised', 'perception', and 'universal'. There are some minor issues with capitalization, such as 'bhagvat geeta' and 'hindu', which should be capitalized as proper nouns. Additionally, 'one of the most influential book' contains a grammatical error (should be 'books'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the variety and precision of less common lexical items that would be expected at a higher band level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'The teaching of performing karma while not bothering oneself with results is the one i resonate with the most.' There are several punctuation and capitalization errors, such as the lowercase 'i' and the missing space before the comma in 'read ,'. Additionally, 'Dear sir' should be 'Dear Sir or Madam' as instructed. While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. To improve, focus on proofreading for capitalization and basic subject-verb agreement.

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

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