Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-26

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 8.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing to request you for course cancellation, which is going to start next month, April. I took admission in a part-time course - Architectural Technologist ( Course # 17015) at Centennial College. I have paid fees for the entire course as well.

Unfortunately, I will have to go back to India, as my study visa is going to expire soon, given that I am not allowed to stay illegal in the country. I have applied for a visa extension, but I don’t anticipate that I will get approval on my application soon.

To mitigate the issues, I have checked the available courses for the next intake, which would be September, and I have seen that the course – Green Architecture- has just opened for students. Could you please transfer my admission to that course? I would be grateful if you could do that.

I believe these problems require immediate attention to avoid further issues. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

Milan Bodar

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.5

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly identified the course, provided a logical reason for the cancellation related to your visa status, and made a specific request to transfer to a different course. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to an administrator. The ideas are well-developed and the purpose of the letter is clear from the beginning. You have maintained a consistent and professional tone throughout, which is essential for this type of task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.5

The letter is well-organized with a clear logical progression. Each paragraph serves a distinct purpose, moving from the introduction of the issue to the explanation and finally the request. You have used appropriate cohesive devices such as 'Unfortunately,' 'To mitigate the issues,' and 'I believe,' which help guide the reader through your argument. The paragraphing is logical and contributes to the overall clarity of the message. The flow between sentences is smooth, and the letter feels cohesive and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message effectively. Phrases like 'mitigate the issues' and 'anticipate that I will get approval' demonstrate a good command of formal language. There are no significant errors in word choice or collocation that impede communication. While the vocabulary is functional and accurate, it could be slightly more varied to reach the highest band; however, it is perfectly suited for the requirements of a formal letter of this nature.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

Your grammar is generally accurate, and you have used a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. For example, 'I have applied for a visa extension, but I don’t anticipate that I will get approval' is a well-constructed compound sentence. There are minor slips, such as 'request you for course cancellation' (which should be 'request a course cancellation') and 'stay illegal' (which should be 'stay illegally'). However, these errors are infrequent and do not cause any confusion for the reader. The majority of your sentences are error-free.

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