Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-10

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 hope this letter finds you well. I am enrolled in part-time cookery course. I am not able to continue this coursework due to some personal reasons.

First of all, I was so excited when I was qualified for enrolling the cookery course. I had my another classes for management course that is why I chose the part-time classes for this course. It is compulsory to attend all the classes for the management course.

Moreover, I am facing difficulties in managing both courses. My father is having some health issues so I have to stay home to look after him. Therefore, I also request you the refund as I have already submitted fees of first semester.

I would appreciate if you could provide me some information regarding Arts course. I want to know the location, timing and fees of the coursework. I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

John Smith

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the prompt: identifying the course, explaining the cancellation, and inquiring about a new course. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter. However, the development of ideas is slightly uneven. The explanation for the cancellation is a bit confusing, as you mention both a management course conflict and a family health issue, which makes the reasoning feel slightly disjointed. To improve, ensure that your reasons are clearly linked and logically presented to the reader. Overall, the task is fulfilled, but the clarity of the explanation could be strengthened to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your points. You use some cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'Moreover', and 'Therefore' to connect your ideas. However, the transition between the management course conflict and the family health issue is abrupt, which affects the flow. Additionally, some referencing is slightly mechanical. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus. The paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter, and the overall progression of information is logical.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'enrolled', 'compulsory', and 'appreciate'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'qualified for enrolling' (should be 'qualified to enroll' or 'accepted into') and 'submitted fees' (should be 'paid the fees'). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise usage of collocations. To reach a higher band, focus on using more natural phrasing for formal correspondence and ensure that your word choices are consistently accurate in a professional context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I had my another classes' (should be 'I had other classes'), 'request you the refund' (should be 'request a refund from you'), and 'Arts course' (should be 'an Arts course'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. To improve, pay closer attention to article usage (a/an/the) and verb-preposition combinations. Increasing the frequency of error-free complex sentences will help you achieve a higher score in this criterion.

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

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