Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-29

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 to express my thrill feeling after reading the most popular biography, named "Samay". This book is about one of the cricketers life, who just retired from the world cup series. His name is Mr Samay Raina. The book includes his childhood, schooling, and his growth in cricket.

This book did not only influence me by the struggle made by the character, but also inspired me to work hard in my field. Additionally, how he overcame from the poor financial situation after his fathers death shocked me.

I believe this book will motivate many people like me, who are aspiring to achieve their goals in life. Another reason is his invaluable contribution to society and community, which will keep attracting others to follow his path. However, there are also some of his mistakes mentioned in the book, they are worth learning to shape readers mindset.

I highly recommend this book for you to read.

Yours Sincerely,

DP.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The candidate has successfully addressed all three bullet points of the task prompt. First, the book's content is described, focusing on the biography named 'Samay' which details the life and cricket career of Mr Samay Raina. Second, the influence of the book is explained, highlighting how the character's struggles and handling of financial hardship inspired the writer. Third, the potential to influence others is discussed through motivational aspects and valuable life lessons. The tone is appropriate for a magazine letter, and the ideas are extended reasonably well. While some points could be elaborated further, the response fully covers all aspects of the task prompt, earning a solid band score.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter is generally clear and easy to follow, with a logical overall arrangement. The text is divided into appropriate paragraphs, starting with an introductory statement, followed by body paragraphs addressing the prompt's requirements, and closing with a recommendation and sign-off. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'Additionally,' 'I believe,' and 'However,' though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. Referencing is mostly clear, for instance, connecting 'his fathers death' and 'his invaluable contribution' back to the subject. Overall, the organizational structure is sound and meets the expectations for a coherent response.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The candidate demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'biography,' 'invaluable contribution,' and 'aspiring.' However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'express my thrill feeling' instead of 'thrilled feeling' or 'thrill,' and 'overcame from' where 'overcame' is transitive. Furthermore, there are minor punctuation and preposition slips like 'fathers death' missing an apostrophe. Despite these inaccuracies, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without impeding communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar. Examples of complex structures include 'I believe this book will motivate many people like me, who are aspiring to achieve their goals in life.' However, grammatical errors are present throughout the text, such as 'cricketers life' instead of 'cricketer's life,' 'overcame from the poor financial situation,' and a comma splice in the third paragraph ('...mentioned in the book, they are worth learning...'). While these errors are frequent enough to prevent a higher band, they rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to easily follow the message.

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

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