Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-07

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 Madam,

I hope you are doing well. My name is Anush and I have been an avid reader of your magazine for a while now. I came across an advertisment claiming that you guys wanted to include contributions from your readers for an article called the book that influenced most. There is a book that I want to recommend named as Peer e Kamil.

Written by a famous Urdu author Umera Ahmed, the story of Peer e Kamil revolves around two individuals of different faith. The female lead character found her way to the right path after several years of studying and learning about it whereas, on the other hand the male lead questioned the existance of God and the after-life. The highlight of the book is the fact that no matter how many sins you commit your whole life, if you ask for forgiveness and decided to follow the path of prosperity and fath God will forgive you, you will feel at piece.

I believe this book will play an essential role in influencing others as it did to me by teaching that we should never under any circumstances judge anyone on the basis of their past. Life is too long, we never know when a person has a change of heart.

I hope you will take my recommendation under you consideration. I shall be waiting for your response.

Regards,

Anush.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you identify Peer e Kamil, outline the two central characters’ differing beliefs, and explain its influence on your view of forgiveness and judging others. You also give a clear recommendation that it could influence other readers. The explanation of the book’s plot is more developed than the discussion of how it changed you; for example, you say it taught you not to judge people by their past, but a specific change in your own thinking or behaviour would make this impact clearer. The claim that it will influence others is relevant but broad, and could be supported by explaining which readers might respond to its themes. The letter is appropriately directed to the editor, though the required opening is “Dear Sir or Madam,” rather than “Dear Madam,”.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and recommendation, a paragraph describing the story, and a final paragraph about its influence, followed by a polite closing. This progression makes the purpose easy to follow. You use linking expressions such as “whereas,” “on the other hand,” and “as it did to me” to connect ideas, and the paragraphing is helpful. Some connections are less smooth, particularly the long sentence beginning “The highlight of the book is the fact that…”; its several ideas would be clearer if divided and linked more precisely. The opening also spends space on the magazine advertisement before reaching the recommendation. A more direct introduction and clearer links between the book’s message and your personal response would strengthen the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of vocabulary for describing the novel and its themes, including “avid reader,” “faith,” “forgiveness,” and “change of heart.” These choices help communicate the subject and your response. However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision, such as “advertisment,” “existance,” “fath,” and “piece” where “peace” is intended. Some phrases are also awkward or informal for a letter to a magazine editor: “you guys wanted” and “recommend named as” could be expressed more naturally. Aim to check spelling carefully and choose accurate collocations, especially when describing the book’s message. More precise wording would make your ideas sound clearer and more polished without changing their meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the contrast in “whereas, on the other hand” and the conditional idea “no matter how many sins you commit… God will forgive you.” Most of the message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect accuracy. For example, “a book that I want to recommend named as” is missing a suitable verb construction, and “if you ask for forgiveness and decided to follow” shifts verb form; “decide” would maintain the conditional pattern. The sentence beginning “The highlight of the book…” is also overloaded, making its structure difficult to control. Review articles and sentence boundaries, and divide long sentences so that complex ideas remain accurate and easy to read.

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