Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-29

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 express my thoughts on the book 'Secrets of Trading' by Andrew Loo for your magazine article, 'The book that influenced me most'.

I have read many books on financial markets but this struck out to me. This book travels from the basics of stock selection to intense topics like how do hedge funds trade.

The book talks about the emotional journey of a trader, which I could very well relate to. I was on the brink of giving up and changing my career path completely before I got to experience this master piece. The book influenced me to deep dive into mathematical modelling which helped me develop strategies for my business.

I believe if a person has ever though of investing, whether be it in real-estate or capital markets, I would suggest them to go through this book beforehand as it will show them a long term view about what they are about to witness.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Yours truly

Siddharth Anand

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly describe the book's content, explain its personal impact on your career trajectory, and provide a recommendation for others. The tone is appropriate for a magazine contribution. To reach a higher band, ensure that the explanation of how the book influenced you is slightly more detailed; while you mention mathematical modelling, expanding on the specific 'aha' moment or a particular concept that shifted your perspective would provide better development of ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which helps the reader follow your argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat basic. You rely heavily on simple sentence structures and could improve the flow by using a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'in addition to this') to connect your ideas more fluidly between sentences and paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary, such as 'financial markets', 'mathematical modelling', and 'capital markets'. There are some minor collocation errors, such as 'struck out to me' (should be 'stood out to me') and 'master piece' (should be one word: 'masterpiece'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the sophistication and precision required for higher bands. Incorporating more idiomatic expressions or precise academic collocations would enhance your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are a few grammatical slips, such as 'how do hedge funds trade' (which should be an indirect question: 'how hedge funds trade') and 'if a person has ever though' (should be 'thought'). Despite these errors, your meaning is always clear, and the punctuation is generally accurate. To improve, focus on mastering complex sentence structures like conditional clauses and relative clauses to ensure they are error-free.

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

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