Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-05

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 view point, which was significantly influenced by the book called the Alchemist.

This book is about how people can choose their destiny by not following the rat race that everyone is following. Although majority of parents would want their children to become either engineer or doctor, some children would enjoy their life most by doing the things that they are passionate about.

In my case, however, my parents were not forcing me to become anything. In fact, I selected chemical engineering for my bachelors, and at the end of college I decided not pursue career in this field. Becasue I developed my interest towards Artifical Intelligence, I was required to make a tough decision in my career, and this was only possible because of this book that I read that year.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone, who feel stuck in their life, be it personal or professional. It would certainly help them to choose what is right for them.

Yours faithfully,

Jay

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task. You clearly describe the chosen book, The Alchemist, explaining its focus on choosing one's destiny rather than following the rat race. You also explain its personal influence on your career shift toward Artificial Intelligence, and you successfully state whether it would likely influence others by recommending it to anyone feeling stuck. Your position is clear throughout, and your ideas are extended and supported well, though the discussion on how parents typically view career choices could benefit from a bit more specific extension. Overall, the communication of the message is fully achieved and covers all bullet points effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

There is a clear logical organization and progression throughout the letter. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving smoothly from the introduction of the book to its plot, your personal experience, and finally your recommendation to others. You use cohesive devices appropriately, such as 'Although' and 'In my case, however', to link your ideas together. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, ensuring that the reader can easily follow your narrative and arguments from beginning to end.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'rat race', 'passionate about', and 'tough decision'. However, there are some word-choice and spelling errors that prevent a higher score, such as 'view point' instead of 'viewpoint', 'decided not pursue' missing the preposition 'to', 'Becasue' containing a spelling mistake, and 'Artifical' having a transposition error. These vocabulary and spelling slips do not impede communication, but they highlight the need for greater precision in word forms and spelling control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses introduced by 'Although', 'that', and 'who'. There are some errors in grammar, such as missing articles ('the Alchemist' or 'choose career'), incorrect verb patterns ('anyone, who feel' instead of 'feels'), and minor punctuation issues. Because your sentence structures show a good attempt at complexity while the errors rarely impede communication, you achieve a solid rating that bridges foundational structures with more advanced control.

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