Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-20

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 6.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter to share my personal experience regarding a book which helped me a lot.

Here, I want to mentioned about the book, called Rich dad poor dad, which has brought revolution in my life. It is written by famous Japanese businessman known as Ashiharo, he mentioned some habits which common people are having in their daily life that prevent them to succeed. In addition, this book mentioned some details about how to become financially independence that helped me to build my retirement corpus, and gave me some wonderful tips regarding the market and business world.

In the past, I was struggling with my household budget and lacked information about investment, then one of my friends mentioned this book. Therefore, I had decided to purchase, and when I read it, I found important information regarding financial independence and investment methods. I would remain a normal employee, unless I bought this book because by its guidance I purchased some incredible shares and planned my early retirement.

I would recommend this book to everyone who wants to make extra money, especially to those who have been trapped in loans. This book carries some bold ideas, though it would be better than living in a poor financial condition. It would be beneficial for those who run small businesses as it mentioned vital information about how to scaling up the business.

I am grateful for your kind attention, and I would eagerly wait for mentioning my review on your website.

Yours faithfully,

John.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points of the prompt: 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 limited. For instance, while you mention the book helped you build a 'retirement corpus,' the explanation of how the book's specific concepts led to this is a bit vague. Additionally, there is a factual error regarding the author of 'Rich Dad Poor Dad' (Robert Kiyosaki, not Ashiharo), which slightly impacts the clarity of your description. Overall, the response is relevant and fulfills the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a specific purpose. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In addition,' 'In the past,' and 'Therefore' to link your ideas. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For example, the transition in the third paragraph ('...lacked information about investment, then one of my friends mentioned this book. Therefore, I had decided to purchase...') is slightly awkward. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear, and the paragraphing is appropriate for a letter format.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your ideas clearly. Phrases like 'brought revolution in my life,' 'retirement corpus,' and 'scaling up the business' are effective. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'I want to mentioned about' (should be 'I want to mention') and 'financially independence' (should be 'financial independence'). These errors do not impede communication, but they do show a lack of precision. Expanding your vocabulary to include more varied synonyms for 'helped' or 'important' would improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'I would remain a normal employee, unless I bought this book.' However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb forms and articles. Examples include 'common people are having' (should be 'have'), 'prevent them to succeed' (should be 'prevent them from succeeding'), and 'I would eagerly wait for mentioning' (should be 'I look forward to seeing'). While these errors are noticeable, they rarely prevent the reader from understanding your message. To reach a higher band, focus on consistent subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage.

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

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