Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-28

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 or madam,

I am writing this letter to share my review regarding the book that influenced me a lot in my life.

Recently, i read an article "the book influenced me most" in a book name as an "influencer". It was an amazing book that i read throughout my whole life because it changed my life completely. Actually i was going through a very demotivated period where i have gave up but after reading this book i again start to stay focused on my goals.

one month ago, i took part in sports competition and did lots of hard work but when the final day come i got injury and i could not perform well , so that thing broke my confidence level but when i read this book i got my confidence back.

i will highly recommend to you for launching more magazines related to this articles, thus other people can get motivation in their life.

Overall it worked as an big influencer for me and i really appreciate your work.

Regards,

Nirmal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt, which is a positive start. However, the development of your ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention that the book helped you regain confidence after a sports injury, the description of the book itself is vague; you do not explain the content or themes of the book, only that it is called 'Influencer'. To improve, ensure you provide more specific details about the book's narrative or message. Additionally, the final point regarding whether it would influence others is addressed only briefly. Expanding on these points with more depth would help you achieve a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter follows a basic structure, but the paragraphing is insufficient. The entire body of the letter is presented as one large block, which makes it difficult for the reader to follow the transition between your personal experience and your recommendation. Using clear paragraph breaks for each bullet point would significantly improve the logical flow. Furthermore, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited; you rely heavily on simple conjunctions like 'and' or 'so'. Incorporating a wider range of linking words, such as 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'in addition', would help create a more professional and cohesive tone.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You use basic terms like 'amazing', 'big', and 'good', which are repetitive and do not demonstrate a wide range of lexical items. There are also some issues with word choice, such as 'review regarding the book' (a review is usually for a product or service, whereas you are describing an influence) and 'book name as an influencer'. To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated adjectives and topic-specific vocabulary related to literature and personal development. Avoid repeating the same words in close proximity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include inconsistent verb tenses (e.g., 'I have gave up', 'I again start'), missing articles, and capitalization errors (e.g., 'i', 'sir or madam'). You rely mostly on simple sentence structures. To reach a higher band, you need to demonstrate better control over complex sentence structures and ensure subject-verb agreement. Pay close attention to punctuation and capitalization, as these are basic requirements for formal writing. Proofreading your work for these common slips would be a very effective way to improve your score.

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

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