Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-31

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 James, I was delighted to read an article, which requires readers input on the book that influenced them the most. I feel fortunate to elaborate my personal favorite book "Rich Dad, Por Dad" by Nicholas Wright. The book describes how two different children deal with critical situations in life despite the financial condition of family.

I come from mediocre family, who used to compare myself with privilege students in my school era. When I read this book for the first time, I compared every scenario with my own experience. When I read half the book, I found inner peace, which motivated me to follow my dreams regardless of financial crisis and how to save for future emergencies.

I believe every individual suffers from comparison by the society or within, once in a life. Writer knows the psychological thinking as he is a child therapist. His writing ability has engaging power and empathetic tone throughout. Reading this book not only give answers to the inner questions but also help you to grow positively.

I hope my voice reach to numerous reader and they can also benefit from the book.

Yours faithfully,

James Nolan

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You described the book's content, explained its personal impact, and provided a clear opinion on its potential influence on others. The tone is appropriate for a magazine contribution. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited; for instance, the explanation of how the book influenced you could be more detailed to fully explore the 'why' and 'how' behind your change in perspective. Additionally, there is a factual error regarding the book title and author (Rich Dad Poor Dad is by Robert Kiyosaki, not Nicholas Wright), which slightly impacts the clarity of your response, though it does not prevent the reader from understanding your intent.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical structure with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the different requirements of the task. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'When I read', 'However', and 'not only... but also', which help the flow of ideas. To reach a higher band, you could improve the variety of your linking words and ensure that transitions between sentences are smoother. Some sentences feel slightly disjointed, and the connection between the book's content and your personal growth could be more explicitly linked using more sophisticated cohesive markers.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'critical situations', 'financial crisis', and 'empathetic tone'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'requires readers input' (should be 'requires readers' input') and 'privilege students' (should be 'privileged students'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your message clearly, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Attempting to use more idiomatic expressions or precise collocations related to literature and personal development would enhance your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are clear, there are several grammatical errors that persist, such as 'I come from mediocre family' (missing article 'a'), 'I hope my voice reach' (subject-verb agreement: 'reaches'), and 'Reading this book not only give' (should be 'gives'). These errors do not impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, the correct use of articles, and ensuring that complex sentences are punctuated correctly to avoid run-on or fragmented structures.

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

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