Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-09

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 7.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter to share about the book that influenced me the most. The name of the book is "The secret of happiness" and it is written by a famous Australian television, Rhonda Burne. I read this book during my college days when I was struggling to bounce back after a failure.

When I read this book, I got to know how the writer stayed happy after her father's death. She mentioned that even though she did not want to live her life after such a huge loss, she continued her struggles just to make her father proud. After reading her story, I was motivated to start over again and I learnt that the secret of happiness lies in enjoying every small moment of life.

If this book is included in your renowned magazine, it will certainly inspire numerous readers who are facing difficulties in their life. It will motivate the individuals from all age groups as everybody would be able to relate themselves with this story.

I hope to read about my favourite book in the next article.

Kind regards,

Jashanpreet Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly describe the book, explain its personal influence, and provide a logical argument for why it would influence others. The tone is appropriate for a magazine contribution, and the purpose of the letter is clear from the outset. The ideas are relevant and well-developed, providing a coherent narrative about your college experience and the book's impact. To reach a higher band, you could provide slightly more specific detail about the book's content or the specific 'secret' mentioned to further demonstrate your ability to elaborate on ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'When I read this book', 'After reading her story', and 'If this book is included' to link your thoughts effectively. The paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter. To improve, you could incorporate a wider variety of linking words and transition phrases to make the flow between sentences feel more sophisticated and less mechanical.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using words like 'renowned', 'motivated', and 'struggling' effectively. The language is natural and conveys your meaning clearly. However, there are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'television' instead of 'television personality' or 'author', and 'relate themselves with' which should be 'relate to'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate your ideas, incorporating more precise collocations and less common lexical items would help elevate your score. Overall, the vocabulary is functional and appropriate for the context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the conditional sentence in the third paragraph. Most of your sentences are clear and error-free, which allows for easy communication. There are a few minor grammatical slips, such as 'share about the book' (should be 'share information about' or 'discuss the book') and 'everybody would be able to relate themselves with' (should be 'relate to'). Punctuation is generally accurate. To achieve a higher band, ensure you consistently use correct prepositional phrases and avoid minor word-choice errors in complex structures.

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

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