Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-09

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 to contribute to your article, “The book that influenced me most.” My choice is Atomic Habits, which changed how I approach my daily routines.

In the beginning of the book, the author talks about how less do most of us know about how habits can change the way we live our lives. The book covered all the concepts like developing positive and negative habits and their affects.

Atomic Habits influenced me a lot in positive ways, I learnt to recognize my negative habits and convert them into a positive one. From the day I started reading this book, I created a healthy time table to follow daily which improved my productivity in many ways.

I believe this book could also benefit students and working adults who struggle with procrastination. Its practical advice could help them establish manageable routines and make steady progress towards their goals. I would really appreciate you publishing my review as I want most people to get influenced by this book.

Yours faithfully,

Vishav

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three points: you identify Atomic Habits, describe its focus on habits, explain how it changed your routines, and consider its value to students and working adults. Your personal example—creating a daily timetable to improve productivity—supports the explanation of influence, while the intended readership is clearly stated. The description of the book is less fully developed: “all the concepts” is broad, and the account could explain one specific principle or example from the book. The claim that you want “most people to get influenced” is also general; a more precise explanation of who would benefit and why would strengthen the final point. Overall, the purpose and position remain clear throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information follows a clear sequence: you introduce your chosen book, describe its subject, explain its effect on you, and then discuss its potential effect on others. Separate paragraphs help the reader follow these stages, and links such as “From the day I started reading this book” and “I believe” make the progression easy to understand. The organisation is effective, though some connections could be smoother. For example, the shift from the book’s general content to your personal experience is quite abrupt, and the final request to publish the review could be linked more naturally to your recommendation. Using a clearer transition between these ideas would make the letter feel more unified.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary to discuss habits and personal development, including “daily routines,” “procrastination,” “manageable routines,” and “steady progress.” These choices communicate the main ideas clearly, and some phrases are appropriately specific to the topic. However, there are occasional word-choice and word-form problems that limit precision. “Their affects” should be “their effects,” and “convert them into a positive one” is awkward and unclear because “habits” is plural. Phrases such as “get influenced” and “healthy time table” are also less natural in this context. Aim for more precise collocations and vary repeated words such as “book,” “habits,” and “influenced.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response includes both straightforward sentences and more developed structures, such as “I believe this book could also benefit students and working adults who struggle with procrastination.” Most sentences communicate their meaning without difficulty. Some grammatical errors remain, however. In “how less do most of us know,” the word order is incorrect for an indirect question; use “how little most of us know.” The sentence beginning “Atomic Habits influenced me a lot in positive ways” joins two independent clauses with a comma, so it needs a full stop, semicolon, or conjunction. There is also a number mismatch in “convert them into a positive one.” Improving clause punctuation and checking agreement and sentence structure would make the writing more accurate.

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