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
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam,
I recently came across your request for readers' contributions for the article ‘The Book That Influenced Me Most’, and I would love to share my experience with a book that had a profound impact on my life - "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee.
This novel, set in the American South during the 1930s, followsfollows the story of a young girl named Scout Finch as she navigates issues of racial injustice, morality, and compassion. Through Scout’s eyesThrough the eyes of Scout, the reader witnesses her father, Atticus Finch, defend an innocent black man falsely accused of a crime. The book powerfully explorespowerfully addresses themes of prejudice, empathy, and standing up for what is right.
Reading this book profoundly changed my perspectivedeeply influenced my perspective on social justice and the importance of treating others with kindness and fairness. It taught me that true courage is not found in physical strength but innot about physical strength but about standing by one’s principles, even in the face of adversity. Since reading it, I have become more conscious of fairness and inclusivity in my daily life.
I strongly believe that To Kill a Mockingbird could influencehas the power to influence other readers in the same way it influenced me. Its themesmessages remain relevant in today’s world, encouraging people to challenge discrimination and develop empathy for others. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a book that can change their outlook on life.
Thank you for considering my contribution. I look forward to reading the article.
Yours faithfully,
Edith Redford
Why this response received Band 8.0
The letter fully satisfies the magazine brief with a concise plot description, a thoughtful account of personal influence, and a convincing explanation of its relevance to other readers. Its strongest feature is the precise, mature development of each point in a consistently appropriate register. The main opportunity is refinement rather than repair: trim a little repetition around influence and keep punctuation around the title and dash fully consistent.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is immediately clear, all three bullet points are fully and convincingly developed, and the tone suits a magazine editor.
Condense the final recommendation slightly so the likely influence on others remains distinct from the personal-impact paragraph.
Coherence and Cohesion
Paragraphing maps cleanly onto the task requirements, and ideas progress smoothly with effective internal cohesion.
Maintain this structure while reducing repeated forms of "influence" across adjacent paragraphs.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is flexible, precise, and natural across literary description, personal reflection, and recommendation.
Refine minor repetition by varying "influence" with context-specific terms such as "shape perspectives" or "affect readers" where appropriate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is used accurately, with only very minor punctuation refinements needed.
Use a consistent typographic style for the book title and replace the spaced hyphen before it with an em dash or colon.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
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
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.