Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-17

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 or Madam,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to express my thoughts for an article called 'The book that influenced me most'.

Firstly, I would like to mention about the Bhagavad Geeta which is very popular in the India. So basically, this book is part of an anciet religion granth of hindus which mention the story about the biggest battle of all time called 'Mahabharat".

This book made an huge impact on my life by providing information about the life, work and relationships. Also, whenever I got stuck in any problem this book is always there for me to give an assistance in my hard times. Moreover, the life lessions of Krishna's boost my self-confidence.

Lastly, I could put a bet on this book for making an impact on other lives. As I noticed with my friend and family when they started to read to read this book their prespectives of life were completely changed.

Thank you so much for time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Yash

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response covers all three bullet points required in the task instructions. The student describes the book (the Bhagavad Gita and its context within Hindu scripture and the Mahabharat), explains how it influenced them by providing life guidance and boosting self-confidence, and evaluates whether it would influence others by sharing anecdotes about friends and family. The register is appropriately semi-formal for a magazine contribution, and the tone is personal and engaging. All parts of the prompt are addressed well, earning a solid Band 7.0 for task achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is structured logically with a clear introduction, body paragraphs addressing specific bullet points, and an appropriate sign-off. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate distinct ideas, such as the book's description, its personal impact, and its potential effect on others. Cohesive devices are employed adequately (e.g., 'Firstly', 'Also', 'Moreover', 'Lastly'), though some transitions feel slightly mechanical or conversational (e.g., 'So basically'). Overall organisation is clear, supporting a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'self-confidence', 'prespectives', and 'assistance'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('anciet' instead of ancient, 'granth' instead of granth/scripture, 'lessions' instead of lessons, 'prespectives' instead of perspectives) and occasional awkward word choices, such as 'mention about' and 'put a bet on this book'. These lexical inaccuracies and misspellings place the response firmly in the Band 5.5 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as relative clauses ('which is very popular') and conditional-like time clauses ('whenever I got stuck...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors, including article misuse ('in the India', 'an huge impact', 'an assistance'), redundant verb patterns ('mention about', 'started to read to read'), and tense inconsistencies ('whenever I got stuck... is always'). While communication is not impeded, the accumulation of grammatical errors restricts the score to a Band 5.5.

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