Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-22

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 this letter to respond about the contribution from the readers in your esteemed column of newspaper. I would like to share my views on the book which inspires and motivates me " The truth of life" by Mahatma Gandhi in 1988. Dr. Gandhi was a famous author of 19th centuary.

This book portays the struggle and spirit of freedom fighters. Moreover, this novel conveys patience and hope of the people. He is one of the eminet author of India and sold 500+ popular novels. He wrote various self-help books.

This book depicts about how to cope up with daily life, ups and down. Additionally, how one should stay calm and have faith in god. This novel brings peace and patience in me.

Would you kindly add in yout newspaper. This novel can bring a life lessona and encourage more readers to have a happy peaceful life.

Thankyou for your consideration.

Yours faithfully

Sam

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the book and give relevant information about its themes, including the struggle for freedom and the importance of patience and hope. You also explain a personal effect, saying it brought you “peace and patience,” and indicate that it could encourage readers to live more peacefully. However, the task is only partly developed: the book’s subject is described in broad terms, and the personal influence is not illustrated with a specific change in your actions or outlook. The claim that it would influence other people is also general. The opening refers to a “column of newspaper” rather than clearly addressing the magazine’s invitation. Develop each point with a concrete example and make the book’s influence on you and potential readers more explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable structure: an opening, a description of the book, comments on its effect, and a closing. Ideas are generally grouped in a sensible order, and connectors such as “Moreover” and “Additionally” help show relationships. However, progression is sometimes mechanical, and the short statements in the middle do not always connect smoothly. For example, “This book depicts about how to cope up with daily life” is followed by a separate fragment beginning “Additionally, how one should…”. The reference to “He” after naming the book also makes it less clear whether you mean Gandhi or the book. Use complete sentences, clearer references, and transitions that show how the book’s themes led to your personal response.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “struggle,” “freedom fighters,” “patience,” “faith,” and “peaceful life.” These choices communicate the general subject and message of the book. However, the range is limited and several noticeable word-choice, collocation, and spelling errors reduce naturalness: “respond about,” “depicts about,” “cope up with,” “eminent author,” and “life lessona.” “Novel” is also repeated and may not be the most accurate term if the book is a work of non-fiction. Aim for more precise phrases and check spelling and collocations carefully. For instance, say that the book “describes” a struggle and “shows how to cope with” everyday difficulties.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You communicate the main points using mostly short, simple sentences, and some sentence patterns are controlled, such as “This novel brings peace and patience in me.” However, the range is limited, and attempts to add information sometimes produce incomplete or faulty structures. “Additionally, how one should stay calm and have faith in god” is a fragment rather than a complete sentence, while “This book depicts about how to cope up with daily life, ups and down” has an unclear grammatical pattern. There are also errors in articles, agreement, and punctuation, as in “one of the eminet author” and the spacing around the book title. Practise combining ideas into complete sentences and check subject–verb agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries.

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