Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-14

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 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter regarding the upcoming publication for your magazine.

I'd like to share how the book Grey's Anatomy by Sara Sheldon has had a huge impact my life. The book is based on the true story of Dr Meredith Grey. The writer gives a detailed account on how despite facing challenging circumstances, she showed bravery and resilience towards achieving her goals. The way the book was written made if feel like I was reading a personal diary.

I read this book prior to starting my medical education. The insight into her journey, how she provided care with empathy was commendable. Additionally, she was always available for support and guidance to juniors no matter how exhausted she was. It gave me a view on how noble the medical profession is and motivated me to purse nursing studies.

From my perspective, this book is highly beneficial particularly for those in the healthcare industry or studying Biology. The real life scenarios presented in the book provide deep insight on how to tackle different medical situations. However, the book uses some medical terminology that may be difficult for others to understand.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Amansa Nasid

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response fully addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You successfully describe what the book Grey's Anatomy by Sara Sheldon is about, explaining its focus on Dr Meredith Grey's bravery and resilience. You also clearly explain how the book influenced you by motivating you to pursue nursing studies after gaining insight into her empathetic patient care and support for juniors. Finally, you address whether the book is likely to influence others by suggesting it is beneficial for those in the healthcare industry or studying Biology, while noting potential limitations with medical terminology. Your ideas are well-developed and relevant throughout, with a clear and appropriate tone suitable for a magazine contribution. All requirements of the task are met effectively, leading to a strong band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

Your letter has a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. You begin with an appropriate standard greeting and introductory sentence, followed by distinct paragraphs dedicated to the description of the book, your personal influence, and its likely impact on others, concluding naturally. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'Additionally,' and 'However,' although cohesion is occasionally a bit mechanical. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each paragraph focusing on a single, clear sub-topic. Reference words are generally clear, contributing to a smooth reading experience overall.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary with some flexibility and precision, using less common items such as 'resilience,' 'commendable,' and 'medical terminology.' However, there are a few minor errors in word choice and preposition usage, such as writing 'impact my life' instead of 'impact *on* my life,' 'account on' instead of 'account *of*,' and a typo with 'made if feel' instead of 'made *it* feel.' You also misspelled 'pursue' as 'purse.' Despite these occasional inaccuracies, your vocabulary is adequate to convey your ideas clearly and demonstrates an appropriate style for a magazine letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You make use of a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating relative clauses and conditional structures reasonably well. There are several error-free sentences, such as 'The book is based on the true story of Dr Meredith Grey' and 'I look forward to hearing from you.' However, some grammatical errors persist, including missing prepositions ('impact my life'), a spelling typo ('purse' instead of 'pursue'), and minor punctuation or phrasing slips. These errors do not impede communication, and the overall grammatical control is sound, allowing you to achieve a solid band score for this criterion.

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