Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-13

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)

13/09/2026

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing this to express my thoughts on the book which has influenced me the most. I would like to request you to read it thoroughly.

The book I want to describe over here is Shrimad Bhagavat Gita. This book is written by the Lord Shree Krishna while he was giving an answers to the questions of arjun on the battlefield of kurkshetra. This books is based on principles of life. In addition, this books has assisted with the daily life situations and how to tackle with positive attitude.

This book has given me an answers to all the questions which I was wondering about and had no clue on it. Furthermore, this books has helped me in all situations of my life including negative and unwanted part of my story. On top of that this book is always been a strong motive to live life thoughtfully with solely based on God's principle.

In this current era, the way the world is going in direction of doubt, ego and selfishness. This book would definitely becomes a life saver for each one of those who will read this book. Should you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out to me on my cell phone. My cell number is [redacted phone].

Yours faithfully,

Foram P.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully covers all the bullet points outlined in the prompt. You begin your letter with the required opening, describe what the Shrimad Bhagavat Gita is about, explain how it has influenced your life by providing answers and positive attitudes during difficult times, and give a clear opinion on why it would likely benefit other people in this ego-driven era. The tone is mostly appropriate for a magazine letter, though the inclusion of a date at the top resembles a formal letter rather than a magazine contribution. Overall, your ideas are relevant and clearly stated, fulfilling the core requirements of Task Achievement at a Band 6 level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter exhibits a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing that addresses each separate part of the prompt in sequence. You use cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'Furthermore', and 'On top of that' to link your ideas together, although some of these connections feel slightly mechanical or repetitive in structure. Referencing is generally clear, such as using 'This book' to maintain the topic across sentences. However, some transitions could flow more smoothly to achieve higher bands. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, guiding the reader logically from the introduction to the conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The lexical range is adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your thoughts effectively. You make attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'battlefield', 'tackle', and 'selfishness'. However, there are noticeable word choice errors and awkward collocations throughout the text, such as 'while he was giving an answers' and 'solely based on God's principle'. Spelling and word formation errors also appear, including 'kurkshetra' (Kurukshetra) and 'this books has assisted' (plural/singular mismatch). While these do not impede overall communication, they restrict the lexical score to a Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses and participial phrases, such as 'the way the world is going in direction of doubt'. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and articles, including 'This books is based' and 'given me an answers'. Furthermore, sentence boundary errors are present, such as fragment sentences like 'In this current era, the way the world is going in direction of doubt, ego and selfishness.' which should be connected to the main clause. These recurring errors occasionally strain the reader, placing your grammar performance firmly at a Band 5.0.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.