Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-30

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 in response to an article called "The book that influenced me most". Although I have read several books in my life, I would like to discuss about a book which encouraged me most. The name of the book is "Three Idiots" and it was written by Chirs Brown in 2008.

This book is really fascinating, so I read it three times. It influenced me most as it includes fun, a love story, friendships and an university life. As I am an engineering student in one of the famous universities, it describes how engineering students face hurdles in their lives.

I am sure that individuals, especially youngsters, would definitely love to read an article about this book because this book was written by one of the well-renowned authors and it also explains how they should enjoy every moment in their college lives.

I hope you would consider this book in the article.

Yours faithfully,

Ravneet Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: describing the book, explaining its influence, and discussing its potential impact on others. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, while you mention the book describes 'hurdles' in engineering, you do not provide specific examples of how these challenges influenced your personal perspective or actions. To reach a higher band, ensure that your explanations are more detailed and reflective. The tone is appropriate for a letter to an editor, and the purpose of the communication is clear throughout the response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'As', and 'because' to link your ideas. However, the transition between the description of the book and its influence could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter. To improve, try to use a wider variety of cohesive devices (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'in addition to this') to create a more sophisticated flow between sentences and paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using words like 'fascinating', 'well-renowned', and 'hurdles'. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'discuss about' (the verb 'discuss' does not take a preposition) and 'encouraged me most' (which is slightly unnatural in this context). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your message clearly, it lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. Focusing on collocations and more academic phrasing would help elevate your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'an university' (should be 'a university') and the aforementioned 'discuss about'. Additionally, the sentence 'I would like to discuss about a book which encouraged me most' contains a slight misuse of the relative clause. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading. To improve, focus on article usage and verb-preposition combinations, and try to incorporate more varied complex structures to demonstrate greater control.

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

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