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 for cancellation of my course, 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 required by the task. You clearly identify the course (Architectural Technologist), provide a logical reason for the cancellation (visa expiration), and make a specific request to transfer to a different course (Green Architecture). 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 fulfilled all requirements of the prompt effectively.

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 reason for writing to the explanation and finally the request. Cohesive devices such as 'Unfortunately', 'To mitigate the issues', and 'I believe' are used effectively to link ideas. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the flow of information is smooth, making the letter easy to follow throughout.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary appropriate for a formal context, such as 'mitigate', 'anticipate', and 'consideration'. There are minor issues with word choice, such as 'took admission in' (better: 'enrolled in') and 'stay illegal' (better: 'remain in the country illegally'). However, these do not impede communication. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly and professionally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are error-free and easy to understand. There are a few minor grammatical slips, such as 'request for cancellation' (should be 'request the cancellation of') and 'I am not allowed to stay illegal' (should be 'I am not allowed to stay illegally'). These errors are infrequent and do not interfere with the clarity of your message. You show good control over punctuation and sentence construction.

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