Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-08

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You recently booked a part-time course at a college. You now need to cancel your booking.

Write a letter to the college administrator. In your letter:

• say which part-time course you booked
• explain why you need to cancel your booking
• ask about booking a different course

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Sir,

I am writing this letter to draw your immediate attention that I want to cancel the booking of part time course of hotel management unfortunately.

The reason for canceling the course is yesterday night my uncle had a heart attack who lives in Delhi. He is in ICU and in a very serious condition. Moreover, I have already book a flight and am rushing back to India for 2 months. My family needs me now and I want to support my family in this tough condition. However after coming back I will decide about the course.

I will be coming back in summer intake and I knew this course only happens once a year so kindly suggest me some other course which I can able to select in summer intake. I have been also very keen and fascinated in photography. Let me know the details, fees structure and duration of this course.

I hope you understand my situation and cinsider my request.

Thank you.

Best Regards

Sarfaraz

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three points clearly: you identify the hotel management course, explain that your uncle is seriously ill and that you must travel to India, and ask about a photography course in the summer intake. The reason for cancelling is relevant and supported with personal details, while the request for another course includes useful questions about fees and duration. This gives the letter a clear purpose and covers the task well. To strengthen the response further, make the alternative-course request more precise—for example, ask whether photography is available in the summer and whether your existing booking can be transferred or must be cancelled first. The opening and closing could also be more consistently formal for a letter to an administrator.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall sequence: cancellation request, explanation, then enquiry about another course. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these stages, and linking expressions such as “Moreover” and “However” show an attempt to connect ideas. The progression is generally easy to follow, but some connections are not fully logical: “However after coming back I will decide about the course” is followed by a request to choose another course, so the relationship between these ideas is unclear. The opening sentence also combines the request and course details awkwardly. Use more direct transitions and make the timeline explicit—for instance, explain that you wish to cancel now and enquire about enrolling after your return. This would make cohesion more flexible and less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the situation, including “serious condition,” “support my family,” “summer intake,” and “duration.” These expressions communicate the main points, and the reader can understand your purpose. There are, however, some inaccurate or unnatural choices and collocations, such as “draw your immediate attention that,” “fees structure,” and “fascinated in photography.” “Cinsider” is also a spelling error, and “part time” should be written as “part-time” when used before “course.” Aim for conventional, precise wording in formal correspondence, such as “bring to your attention,” “fee structure,” and “interested in photography.” This would improve naturalness and control without requiring more elaborate vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including the explanation of your family circumstances and the request about a future course. The main message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect accuracy. For example, “yesterday night my uncle had a heart attack who lives in Delhi” has an unclear relative clause, and “I have already book a flight” uses the wrong verb form. In “some other course which I can able to select,” the modal construction is faulty; use “a course that I could choose.” There are also issues with articles and sentence construction, as in “the booking of part time course.” Practise accurate past participles, relative clauses, and modal patterns, while keeping the sentence structures varied.

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