Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-04

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 6.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing regarding the book which influenced me published in your magazine.

The book was about english language written by a very famous writer which includes skills, and guidelines to improve english profiency. English language is globally used which is needed to communicate among the people.

This book includes basic to standard chapters which will eventually help you to improve your language barriers. Before I was not very good at communicating because english was not my native language. After completing this book, I knew exactly what I had to work on. It included grammars, vocabulary, fluency which is essential in any educational or professional field. Working in an administrative field, I had to deal with various clients and also write memos, correspondence, letters, emails. For this, I was having difficulty, but after this book it motivated me to work on my weak areas and change it to my strangths.

There are many people worldwide who face language barriers. This book can be the medium to help them remove their barriers. I would appreciate it if you could make this book available in all countries so it would be helpful for people like me.

Yours faithfully,

Ben

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The letter addresses all three points: it describes the book as a guide to English skills, explains how it helped you identify areas to improve and communicate at work, and says it could help people facing language barriers. The personal example about writing “memos, correspondence, letters, emails” makes the influence relevant. The recommendation that the book be made available internationally also gives the editor a clear view of its wider value. Some details remain general, however: the book’s title or author is not given, and its contents are described only broadly. The claim that it would help people worldwide could be supported with a more specific explanation of who would benefit and how. This covers the task well, with some ideas less fully developed than others.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The information follows a sensible sequence: you introduce the book, explain its effect on your communication and work, then discuss its potential value to others. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and links such as “Before,” “After completing this book,” and “For this” guide the reader through the account. The overall progression is clear, though some connections are mechanical or imprecise. For example, “For this” does not clearly refer to the list of workplace tasks, and “This book” is repeated several times in the final paragraph. The opening sentence also sounds like a general statement rather than a direct introduction to your contribution. More varied referencing and clearer links between cause and effect would make the cohesion more flexible and natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use vocabulary relevant to the topic and your work context, including “language barriers,” “fluency,” “administrative field,” and “correspondence.” These choices help convey the book’s practical influence. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “improve english profiency,” “improve your language barriers,” and “change it to my strangths.” “Standard chapters” is also unclear in this context, while “grammars” is not the natural form for the subject being discussed. Spelling errors in “proficiency” and “strengths,” along with inconsistent capitalization of “English,” reduce accuracy. The range is adequate for the letter, but more precise collocations and careful proofreading would make your meaning clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The letter includes both simple sentences and attempts at more complex structures, such as “Before I was not very good at communicating because English was not my native language” and the conditional result in “so it would be helpful for people like me.” Meaning is generally clear, and the response shows some control of sentence boundaries and past-time narration. Some grammatical errors remain, however. In “The book was about english language written by a very famous writer which includes skills,” the relative clause has an unclear reference and the tense shifts from “was” to “includes.” “After this book it motivated me” also has an unclear subject, and “I was having difficulty” is awkwardly formed for this past experience. Clearer clause construction and more consistent tense choices would improve accuracy.

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