Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

As a keen reader, a few years ago I read a book which was about understanding different individuals and how they view life. It explained how the different backgrounds which we grew up in could affect our perspective of life, how our experiences could shape our thought processes amongst several other things.

Reading that book has impacted me as it has made me not to judge people too harshly, to try and understand why they behave the way they do and even give them benefit of the doubt. Everyone did not grow up the way I did, have not had my experiences, so I should also not expect them to act the way I do.

In my opinion, others should read the book as it would indeed make them see the World differently, pause and realise despite the fact that we are all humans, we are often the product of our environment and our culture and it is titled life's choices.

I do appreciate the opportunity to be able to contribute to your upcoming article and look forward to reading it.

Yours faithfully,

Ruth PA

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three points: it describes a book about how background and experience shape people’s perspectives, explains that it encouraged you to judge others less harshly, and recommends it to other readers. Your personal response is clear and relevant, especially in “I should also not expect them to act the way I do.” The recommendation is also supported by the idea that readers may see how environment and culture shape behaviour. To strengthen the response further, identify the book more clearly and develop its content or influence with a specific example. The claim that it would affect “others” is somewhat general; explaining which readers might benefit, and why, would make the ideas more fully supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter has a clear progression from introducing the book, to describing its effect on you, to recommending it and closing politely. Paragraphing supports this sequence, and links such as “Reading that book” and “In my opinion” help readers follow the shift between points. The ideas within the second paragraph also build logically from understanding others to avoiding assumptions about their behaviour. Some connections could be made more smoothly: the book’s title, “life’s choices,” appears at the end of the recommendation and feels added on rather than integrated into the description. A clearer transition or placing the title in the opening paragraph would make the organisation feel more consistently controlled.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of vocabulary to discuss the book’s ideas and its personal impact, including “perspective,” “experiences,” “thought processes,” and “environment and our culture.” These choices communicate the topic clearly, and phrases such as “give them the benefit of the doubt” show some flexibility. At times, however, wording is imprecise or less natural, which limits the overall control: “make me not to judge” and “see the World differently” could be expressed more idiomatically, while “different individuals” is rather general. The title “life’s choices” is also not clearly distinguished from the surrounding sentence. More precise collocations and consistent capitalization would help make the vocabulary more fluent and polished.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response includes a mix of sentence forms, including complex clauses such as “how the different backgrounds which we grew up in could affect our perspective of life.” Most of the meaning remains clear, and the letter uses appropriate present and past forms overall. Some grammatical choices are not fully controlled, however. In “has made me not to judge,” the verb pattern is incorrect; use “has made me less likely to judge” or “has taught me not to judge.” The sentence beginning “Everyone did not grow up…” also shifts awkwardly between past and present forms and would be clearer as “Not everyone grew up as I did or has had my experiences.” Review verb patterns and tense consistency to make the complex sentences more accurate.

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