Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-17

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,

Hope you are doing well. I have recently read the article you are going to write about 'The book that influenced me most'. I feel i could contribute to this article. As recently i have finished exploring a new book 'How to live your life'.

I think the reader would love to know about this book as the topic relatable to everyone. This book has tried to showcase the different prospective & explore new ways to live it stress free.

It has changed my point-of-view, how how i used to think my life. It has pumped fresh energy into my life because it is connected to our day to day activities. This help me develop new hobbies that how to enjoy every piece of it.

As the topic is very much general, so it can easily relate to wide range of readers. I strongly believe as it have influenced me it could influence other people too.

Looking forward to discuss this in more detail with you. Have a wonderful day.

Your Faithfully,

Ram

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you identify the book as *How to Live Your Life*, describe its focus on stress-free living, explain that it changed your perspective and encouraged new hobbies, and say it could influence a wide range of readers. The purpose of writing to the editor is also clear. However, the description of the book and its effect remains quite general; for example, “different prospective” and “new hobbies” are not supported with a specific idea or example from the book. The prediction about other readers is relevant but similarly brief. Developing these points with one concrete lesson from the book and how you applied it would make the response more complete and persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a clear overall sequence: you introduce the contribution, describe the book, explain its personal effect, and conclude with its possible impact on readers. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these stages, and the reader can follow your main message. Some links are less smooth or mechanical, however. For instance, “As the topic is very much general, so…” uses two linking forms where one would be clearer, and “It has changed my point-of-view, how how i used to think my life” makes the relationship between ideas difficult to follow. Use clearer sentence boundaries and refer back to the book consistently. A more conventional closing would also help the letter feel complete.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “stress free,” “fresh energy,” “day to day activities,” and “relate to a wide range of readers.” There are also attempts to express abstract ideas, such as the book changing your “point-of-view.” However, several noticeable word-choice and collocation problems make parts less natural: “different prospective” does not clearly express the intended meaning, “exploring a new book” is unusual here, and “enjoy every piece of it” is unclear. Some expressions are repeated or broad, particularly “influence” and “topic.” Choose more precise phrases and check spelling and word forms; this will make your message easier to understand and more convincing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the main message is generally understandable. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly in sentence construction and agreement. “Hope you are doing well” is an incomplete sentence in formal writing, while “As recently i have finished…” is also a fragment. In “the topic relatable to everyone,” the verb is missing, and “This help me develop” needs subject–verb agreement. The repeated “how how” and inconsistent capitalisation of “I” also affect accuracy and punctuation. Practise forming complete sentences and checking verb forms and agreement. More accurate control of these patterns would make your ideas clearer.

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