Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-18

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 7.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to share my experience of the book that has had the most significant influence on my life. The book is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

The book revolves around a young shepherd named Santiago, who sets out on a remarkable journey in search of treasure. During his journey, he faces various challenges and obstacles and learns valuable lessons about following his dream, believing in himself and never giving up.

This book had a profound impact on me because it encourage me to persevere in difficult situations. It taught me that challenges are a natural part of life and helped me broaden my perspective. Since reading it, I have become more confident about persuing my aspirations.

I believe this book could inspire a wide range of readers, particularly younger generations. Its underlying message about perseverance, self-belief and following one's dream is highly relevant to people who are facing difficulties in their personal or professional lives.

I would highly recommend this book to your readers, as it is both enjoyable and filled with valuable life lessons.

Yours faithfully,

Sukhdeep Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response fully and effectively covers all bullet points required by the prompt. You adopt an appropriate semi-formal tone for a magazine letter, beginning properly with 'Dear Sir or Madam,' and signing off with 'Yours faithfully,' followed by your name. You clearly describe the book, 'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho, detailing its plot involving a young shepherd named Santiago. Furthermore, you effectively explain how the book influenced you by encouraging perseverance and broadening your perspective. Finally, you successfully address whether it would influence other people by noting its relevance to younger generations and individuals facing personal or professional difficulties. All parts of the task are well developed and supported without any irrelevant digressions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

Your letter shows a clear and logical overall progression. Ideas are grouped into coherent paragraphs, with each paragraph focusing on a specific aspect of the prompt: introduction, book description, personal influence, potential impact on others, and recommendation. Transitional phrases and logical links, such as 'During his journey', 'This book had a profound impact on me', and 'Since reading it', help guide the reader smoothly through your thoughts. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, and referencing throughout the text is consistently clear, ensuring that the letter reads naturally and cohesively.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a sufficient and flexible range of vocabulary suitable for a general correspondence task. Words and phrases such as 'significant influence', 'remarkable journey', 'profound impact', and 'underlying message' show a good command of language. However, there are a few minor spelling and word-form inaccuracies, such as writing 'encourage' instead of the past tense 'encouraged' in the third paragraph, and 'persuing' instead of 'pursuing'. Despite these occasional slips, your lexical choices are precise enough to convey your meaning clearly and effectively without ever impeding communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

You demonstrate a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating relative clauses, participial phrases, and prepositional modifiers effectively. For instance, sentences like 'During his journey, he faces various challenges and obstacles and learns valuable lessons about following his dream, believing in himself and never giving up' are well-structured and grammatically sound. The majority of your sentences are error-free, though there is a minor verb tense oversight with 'encourage' instead of 'encouraged'. Punctuation is accurate, and control over complex grammatical forms is strong, supporting clear and fluent communication throughout the letter.

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