Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-15

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,

I am writing to inform you about the book that influenced me a lot.

Firstly, the name of the book is "The Story of My Life", written by Helen Keller. Moreover, this book is based on Helen Keller's life, which teaches us how a blind and deaf girl achieved her goals and became successful in life. Apart from that, this story also gives a lesson that a disabled girl achieved her target why we are not working hard to fulfil our dreams.

Secondly, this novel totally changed my life. Before reading this book, I was so upset because I was not getting desire marks in my science exams. Moreover, I demotivated myself so much that I felt I was useless, but after reading this story, I realised that nothing is impossible. I started working hard, and I got full marks in the next exam.

Furthermore, I felt that everyone needs to read this book so that they understand that we can achieve anything in this life, but hard work is necessary.

I hope you like my suggestion.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Sargun

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all three bullet points required by the task prompt. You successfully name the book ('The Story of My Life' by Helen Keller), describe what it is about, explain how it influenced your academic motivation and mindset regarding difficulties, and briefly discuss whether it would influence others. Your ideas are relevant and generally developed, fulfilling the requirements for Band 6.0. However, the development of the third bullet point regarding other people is a bit brief ('everyone needs to read this book so that they understand that we can achieve anything') and lacks deeper extension. To reach a higher band, you could have elaborated more on why specific types of readers, such as students facing academic pressure, would find it particularly relatable and inspiring.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical paragraph structure, beginning with an appropriate salutation and moving purposefully through each prompt requirement. You use cohesive markers to organise your points, such as 'Firstly', 'Moreover', 'Apart from that', and 'Secondly'. However, some of these transitions feel somewhat mechanical or repetitive, and referencing is occasionally clunky, such as in the sentence: 'a disabled girl achieved her target why we are not working hard to fulfil our dreams', where the transition between clauses lacks smooth integration. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different ideas, ensuring the reader can follow your narrative easily. Overall, the organizational structure is coherent and meets the criteria for Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task and successfully communicates your personal experience. You use functional descriptive terms such as 'blind and deaf', 'achieved her goals', and 'demotivated myself'. There are attempts at less common vocabulary items, such as 'fulfil our dreams' and 'nothing is impossible', but word choice occasionally shows slight awkwardness or repetition, as seen in 'getting desire marks' instead of 'desired marks'. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate and do not impede the reader's understanding. To achieve a higher band, you should incorporate a wider variety of precise, less common lexical items and natural collocations related to personal growth and literary impact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions like 'because' and 'after reading this story'. There are several error-free sentences, particularly in the recounting of your exam experience ('I started working hard, and I got full marks in the next exam'). However, grammatical errors occur, such as the tense and preposition issues in 'why we are not working hard' and 'getting desire marks'. Punctuation is generally handled well, and communication is never impeded by these grammatical slips. This performance fits comfortably within the Band 6 descriptor, where a mix of structures is combined with occasional errors that do not hinder overall comprehension.

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

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