Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-15

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 5.5)

Dear sir or madam,

I am writing to bring your attention about the book that influenced me most.

First and foremost, I am book reader and read alots of books and magazine, the one book that influenced me alot that is none other than Rani Jinda. The book explain the lifestyle of one sikh women lady named ranjind kaur.

Moreover, the book describe the history of sikhism, how the mujhal religion behave with other community people. This book influence in many ways. After reading this I am fully dedicated toward my work and believe in myself if i want to do anything, I have prepared mindset then will do that anything at any cost . This book tottaly changed my mindset.

In my opinion this book will also influenced everybody because this book develop a positive attitude toward life . I would strongely recommend to anyone who wants to improve themselves.

Thank you for giving readers the opportunity to share their experience.

Yours faithfully,

Arwinder Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you identify the book, describe its subject as the life of Rani Jinda and Sikh history, explain its effect on your confidence and dedication, and give a recommendation. The personal influence is the clearest part, especially your statement that it changed your mindset. However, the description of the book is brief, and the claim that it would influence “everybody” is broad rather than supported with reasons or examples. Develop these points by explaining a specific event or lesson from the book and identifying the kinds of readers who might benefit. The purpose and overall position are clear, but some parts are less fully developed than others.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall sequence: an opening purpose, information about the book, its personal effect, a view on its influence on others, and a polite closing. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and transitions such as “Moreover” and “In my opinion” guide the reader. This meets the lower-band expectations securely and shows some effective organisation. To make progression more consistently smooth, avoid relying on formulaic transitions and connect related ideas more explicitly. For example, the shift from the book’s account of Sikh history to your personal dedication could explain which lesson prompted that change. Some references, such as “this book,” are repeated rather than varied, but the overall message remains easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main ideas, including “dedicated,” “positive attitude,” and “recommend,” and the reader can understand the book’s general subject and effect. However, the range is limited and several noticeable spelling, word-choice, and collocation errors reduce precision: “alots,” “mujhal religion,” “influenced me alot,” and “strongely” are examples. Some phrases are also awkward, such as “bring your attention about” and “I am book reader.” These errors do not prevent understanding, but they make the letter less natural. Build accuracy with common collocations and check spelling, while choosing precise terms for the book’s historical and religious subject matter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You communicate through a mixture of short statements and some longer structures, including the conditional idea “if I want to do anything … then will do that.” However, the range is limited, and attempts to form more complex sentences are often inaccurate. Examples include “I am book reader,” “the one book that influenced me … that is,” “The book explain,” and “this book will also influenced.” These show problems with articles, sentence construction, subject–verb agreement, and verb forms. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, as in the lowercase “i” and the extra space before the full stop. Practise building accurate sentences with past and future forms, and proofread each sentence for a clear subject and correctly formed verb.

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