Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-05

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 influenced to read an article called 'The book that influenced me most', which is published in your magazine. I was wonder when I read it because the story of the book related to hope.

I would like to describe you how this book influenced me. Actually, the story was related to a woman who was suffering to pneumonia and everyday thought to die, it had happened due to the leaf of the tree everyday fell down and the lady watching it from her window, as a result, she imagined that she would die when the last leaf fell down. Although, one person draws a leaf on outside the window at night during the heavy wind and rain so that she could live. Next morning when she saw that leaf still on the tree then she felt that she will not die and after that she built a strength and got a hope to live life with her husband.

Despite I really impressed to this story. Other people also might be influenced of this book, and they can achieve anything in their life. I hope I would be read new book every week in your magazine.

It was a great experience for me.

yours faithfully,

Grace

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: describing the book, explaining its influence, and discussing its potential impact on others. The summary of the story (The Last Leaf) is clear, and you have successfully linked it to the theme of hope. However, the development of the 'influence' aspect is somewhat basic. To reach a higher band, you should expand on how the book specifically changed your perspective or actions in your own life, rather than just stating you were impressed. The tone is appropriate for a magazine contribution, and the letter format is correctly followed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your ideas. You use some basic cohesive devices like 'Although', 'As a result', and 'Despite'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and there are instances where the connection between ideas is slightly disjointed, such as the transition between the summary of the story and your personal reaction. The use of referencing is generally clear, but the overall structure could benefit from more sophisticated linking words to improve the flow and coherence of your arguments.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using words like 'pneumonia', 'imagined', and 'influenced'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'I influenced to read' (should be 'I was inspired to read') and 'built a strength' (should be 'gained strength'). These errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, but they do indicate a limited control over more precise vocabulary. To improve, focus on learning common collocations and the correct usage of verbs related to feelings and inspiration.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is a positive step. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, particularly with verb tenses and sentence construction. For example, 'I was wonder' should be 'I wondered', and 'she felt that she will not die' should be 'she felt that she would not die'. Additionally, the sentence 'Despite I really impressed to this story' is grammatically incorrect. While these errors are noticeable and occur frequently, they do not completely impede communication, as the core meaning remains clear to the reader.

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

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