Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-04

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 to request you to cancel my booking that I have made in your college for a part-time course.

I have booked a course of Certificate in Educational Management. I am currently working as a teacher and I want to polish my management skills in education. After this course I would be able to take on leadership roles such as coordination in academic activities of children.

Unfortunately, I would not be able to take the course because I have to attend a training named as English Language Development organised by School Education Department, Punjab. The training would start around 9 am and continue till 5 pm, So I will not be able to attend the class.

The duration of training is 6 weeks and I want to inquire about any other management course available after 21st of August which I can attend in this prestigious institute. I believe that you will consider my request and looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours truly

Sana.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly identified the course (Certificate in Educational Management), provided a logical reason for cancellation (a mandatory training conflict), and made a specific inquiry regarding future course availability. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a college administrator. The purpose of the letter is clear from the outset, and the information provided is relevant and sufficient to meet the requirements of the task. No parts of the prompt were omitted, and the ideas are developed in a way that makes the situation easy for the reader to understand.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized, with a clear progression from the purpose of the letter to the explanation and finally the request for information. Paragraphing is used to separate the different stages of your message, which helps the reader follow your points easily. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Unfortunately', 'After this course', and 'So', which help connect your ideas. However, the transition between the explanation of your current job and the reason for cancellation could be smoother. Overall, the flow of information is natural and the structure is appropriate for a formal letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task. Phrases like 'polish my management skills', 'take on leadership roles', and 'prestigious institute' are used effectively. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'request you to cancel my booking that I have made in your college' (a bit wordy) and 'training named as' (should be 'training called' or 'training entitled'). However, these do not impede communication. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise collocations and avoid slightly repetitive phrasing when describing your professional goals.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'I am writing to request you to cancel my booking that I have made' (tense usage could be more precise) and 'I would not be able to take the course' (should be 'will not be able' as the event is in the future). Punctuation is generally correct, though there is a minor error with the comma before 'So'. Despite these occasional errors, your meaning is always clear, and the grammar does not interfere with the reader's understanding of your request.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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