Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-19

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 with regard to the book that influenced me the most "Rich Dad Poor Dad".

To began with, this book describes the different viewpoint of two fathers on financial management. Poor dad who believes, good education and securing a job is the key to success whereas the rich dad belives in investing and creating more sources of income.

For me, it totally changed my mindset about money. Initially, I was unaware of how liabilities and asserts work, but when I read that book I understand not only earning money is enough but also we should know how to save and spend wisely.

I think this book would be likely to influence other people as well because a vast majority of youth being faced difficulty to manage money today and crossed their line of credit. I would appreciate it if you publish an article on it to help modern generation.

Thanks for your time and consideration. I look forward to your prompt response.

Yours faithfully,

Manpreet

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three points: you describe the book’s contrast between the two fathers’ approaches to money, explain that it changed your mindset, and say it could help young people manage finances. The letter also has an appropriate opening and closing, and the request to publish an article gives it a clear purpose. The explanation of your personal influence is relevant but could be developed with a specific example of a decision or habit you changed after reading. Likewise, the claim that young people struggle with money is broad; a brief explanation of how the book could help them would make this point more convincing. The response covers the task well, though some ideas need fuller support.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is arranged in a clear sequence: it introduces the book, describes its central contrast, explains its effect on you, and then considers its relevance to others. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and phrases such as “To begin with,” “For me,” and “I think” guide the reader through the letter. Some linking is a little mechanical, however, and the final paragraph combines the general claim about young people with the request to the editor without fully developing the connection. The sentence beginning “Poor dad who believes” also lacks a clear grammatical link to the preceding sentence, which interrupts the flow. Use smoother transitions and clearer sentence connections to make progression more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for the topic, including relevant terms such as “financial management,” “investing,” “sources of income,” and “liabilities.” These choices make the subject clear, and the reader can understand your main points. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or imprecise, though: “different viewpoint” would be more natural as “different viewpoints,” “asserts” appears to be intended as “assets,” and “crossed their line of credit” does not clearly express the financial difficulty you mean. There are also spelling errors such as “belives.” These do not prevent understanding, but greater accuracy with financial vocabulary and common collocations would make the letter more fluent and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the contrast introduced by “whereas” and the conditional structure “I would appreciate it if you publish an article.” Most of the message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors are noticeable. For example, “To began with” should be “To begin with,” and “Poor dad who believes” needs to be connected to the previous sentence or rewritten as a complete sentence. In “I was unaware … but when I read that book I understand,” the verb tense shifts; “I understood” would keep the account in the past. The clause “a vast majority of youth being faced difficulty” also needs a finite verb and a clearer grammatical structure. More consistent tense control and complete sentence construction would improve accuracy.

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