Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-25

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 5.5)

Dear sir /madam

I hope you are well and happily living.i am from ahmedabad. Reading a book is my all time favorite hobby. I am writing this letter to inform you that your book which you publish last week which name is power of possitive thinking.

I read this book 2 times and become one of my favorite book now a days .in this book learn that how you convert your negative thoughts in to possitive .how thoughts effect your mood and daily life.thoughts are everything .one of best thoughts in this book is that how you think that you become.

I really like all of the storieswhich you mentioned in this book and effect me a lot.

How simpley you explain a lots of things which is easy to understand .your thoughts effect your body and many more thought which help me a lot .and also i am very exited for part 2 of this book.

Thank you so much for this kind of book and learn people how to think possible in any situation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all three bullet points of the prompt: describing the book, explaining its influence, and discussing its potential impact on others. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. The description of the book is vague, and the explanation of how it influenced you is repetitive, focusing heavily on general statements about 'thoughts' rather than specific personal examples. To improve, you should provide more concrete details about the book's content and specific instances of how your life or mindset changed after reading it. The tone is generally appropriate for a letter to an editor, though it lacks the formal structure expected in such correspondence.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is divided into paragraphs, but the logical flow is hindered by inconsistent sentence structure and a lack of cohesive devices. While you attempt to link ideas, the transitions between sentences are often abrupt or missing. For example, the jump from describing the book to discussing your excitement for a sequel feels disjointed. The use of referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the progression of your argument. Improving the use of linking words such as 'furthermore', 'consequently', or 'in addition' would help create a smoother, more professional flow throughout the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is somewhat basic and repetitive. You rely on simple descriptors like 'favorite' and 'good' rather than more precise language. There are also several spelling errors, such as 'possitive' instead of 'positive', 'exited' instead of 'excited', and 'simpley' instead of 'simply'. These errors, combined with the limited range of vocabulary, restrict your ability to express complex ideas clearly. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of adjectives and adverbs, and ensure you are using correct collocations, such as 'positive thinking' rather than 'think possible'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication. There are consistent issues with subject-verb agreement, such as 'your book which you publish' (should be 'published') and 'thoughts effect your mood' (should be 'affect'). Punctuation is also problematic, with many sentences lacking proper capitalization and ending with run-on structures. The range of grammatical structures is limited, consisting mostly of simple sentences. To improve, you should practice using more complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses and conditional sentences, while paying closer attention to verb tenses and basic punctuation rules.

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

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