Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-01

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 hope you are well. I am writing this letter to share my thoughts on how a book changed my life. I started reading harry potter books when I was 14 years old, and it has taught me a lot of life lessons which would make a good article in your magzine.

Harry Potter is a novel written by J.K. Rowling. It creates a entirely different world of magic where young wizards go to a school known as Hogwarts. It is a story of how the protagnist of the book defeats the antagonist.

On the surface this might sound like a regular novel but it isn't. This book showed me how to think creatively, it gave me an inspiration to write a fictional book of my own. There is a dialogue in the book by one of the character

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You identify the book, describe its magical setting and central conflict, and explain that it encouraged you to write fiction. These points are relevant, but the task is only minimally fulfilled: the explanation of the book’s influence stops just as you introduce a quotation, and the required point about whether it could influence other readers is not addressed. The letter also ends abruptly, without a closing. In addition, the response is 143 words, below the required 150, so there is limited space to develop the ideas. To improve, complete the personal example, state clearly who else might benefit and why, and finish the letter appropriately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a generally understandable sequence: you introduce your purpose, describe the book, and then begin to explain its effect on you. Paragraphing helps distinguish the description from your personal response. However, the progression is incomplete because the final sentence breaks off at “There is a dialogue in the book by one of the character,” leaving the reader without the example or a conclusion. The transition “On the surface” signals a contrast, but the contrast is not fully developed. The letter also lacks a sign-off. Complete each idea and add a final paragraph addressing the book’s potential effect on others to create a more finished, logically connected letter.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “life lessons,” “fictional book,” “protagonist,” and “antagonist.” These choices make the subject clear, and the meaning is generally easy to follow. There are, however, some spelling and word-choice errors, such as “magzine” and “protagnist,” and “It creates a entirely different world” is not a natural collocation. “A dialogue … by one of the character” is also imprecise and unfinished. Aim for accurate spelling and more natural phrasing, such as “creates an entirely different magical world” and “a line spoken by one of the characters.” This would make your vocabulary more precise and polished.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex forms, including the relative clause in “life lessons which would make a good article” and the contrast in “this might sound like a regular novel but it isn’t.” Most of the message remains understandable, though some grammatical errors are present. For example, “a entirely different world” needs the article “an,” and “one of the character” requires the plural “characters.” The sentence “This book showed me how to think creatively, it gave me an inspiration…” joins two independent clauses with only a comma; use a full stop, semicolon, or conjunction. Check article use, agreement and sentence boundaries, and complete the final sentence.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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