Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-02

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 contribute for a article of your magazine.

Recently, I have completed a book named 'Don't judge a book by its cover'. It is mainly about how nowadays judge a book by its fancy cover page rather than inside context.

The reason behind I choose this book is because one day It provides wider view of individual how often they assume all the content of the book by just looking at the front page. For example, while I was reading the book titled as investment he assumed that the book is all about money but the main content of the book was about investment of time in one skill.

I am highly positive that this book will definitely helps its reader to view all the books by other perspective.

I hope my contribution helps other people, if you release it in your article.

Kind regards,

Jay Boe

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you identify the book, describe its message about judging by appearances, and explain your personal response and its possible effect on readers. The example about assuming a book on investment was only about money helps make the influence more concrete. However, the explanation of how the book changed your own outlook is not fully clear: “The reason behind I choose this book is because one day It provides wider view” leaves the event and its impact difficult to follow. Your prediction that it will help readers is relevant, but remains general. Develop the personal change with a specific before-and-after example, and explain why other readers might respond similarly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a clear overall shape, moving from its purpose to the book, its influence, and a closing comment. Separate paragraphs help the reader identify these stages, and the example beginning “For example” supports the preceding point. However, progression becomes unclear in the long sentence starting “The reason behind I choose this book,” where the connection between choosing the book, the event, and its effect is hard to trace. Some linking is also mechanical, particularly “The reason behind” and “For example.” Use clearer transitions and divide the explanation into shorter, logically connected sentences. A more direct link between the book’s message and your own changed perspective would make the letter flow more smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary to communicate the topic, including “fancy cover page,” “main content,” “assume,” and “investment of time.” These choices show an attempt to express the book’s central idea and give a specific example. However, several phrases are imprecise or unnatural, such as “contribute for a article,” “inside context,” and “view all the books by other perspective.” The title also appears to be used as the book’s subject, so make clear whether it is the actual title or a description of its theme. Aim for more natural collocations and precise wording, such as “contribute to an article,” “content,” and “see books from a different perspective.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a sentence with “rather than” and an example introduced by “while.” The main message is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors make key ideas difficult to follow. For instance, “how nowadays judge a book” lacks a clear subject, and “this book will definitely helps” has incorrect verb agreement. In “The reason behind I choose this book is because,” the clause structure and tense are not controlled, while “a article” shows an article error. Practise building complete clauses with clear subjects and matching verb forms, and check articles and punctuation. Shorter, accurate sentences would help you express the personal influence more clearly.

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

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