Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-12

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 7.0)

Dear Mr. Parker,

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing this letter to request deferment of the Personality development course, which I got enrolled in recently.

Initially, I opted for this course, as I wanted to develop my interpersonal skills and boost my confidence level by improving my communication skills.

While I was confident to manage my full-time job alongside studying, I believe that it would be extremely challenging for me to attend in-person classes while working prolonged hours. Although I requested the teacher if the lectures can be delivered online, my request was denied due to the requirements of certain tools for the course.

However it would be great if I can join short-term bakery course instead, as the lecture are instructed entirely online. Not only it will make learning easier, but also convenient. Additionally, I have also completed some relevant courses in cooking, which will helps in understanding various techniques.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

John Smith

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly identified the course you booked, provided a logical reason for the cancellation (work-life balance and lack of online options), and effectively inquired about an alternative course. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to an administrator. The purpose of the letter is clear from the beginning, and the ideas are developed sufficiently to meet the requirements of the task. No parts of the prompt were omitted, and the response maintains a consistent focus throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph serves a distinct purpose, moving from the request to the explanation and finally the alternative proposal. You have used some cohesive devices such as 'Initially', 'While', 'However', and 'Additionally' to link your ideas. However, the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother, and the use of 'Not only it will' is slightly awkward in terms of syntactic flow. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate, and the message is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your meaning clearly. Phrases like 'interpersonal skills', 'prolonged hours', and 'short-term' are well-chosen. There are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'request deferment' (which usually implies postponing rather than cancelling) and 'the lecture are instructed' (should be 'lectures are delivered'). Despite these minor inaccuracies, the vocabulary is adequate for the task, and your meaning is never in doubt. You demonstrate a good attempt at using more formal, topic-specific language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'which I got enrolled in' (passive voice would be better: 'in which I was enrolled'), 'requested the teacher if' (should be 'asked the teacher whether'), and 'which will helps' (subject-verb agreement error). Additionally, the sentence 'Not only it will make learning easier, but also convenient' requires inversion: 'Not only will it make learning easier, but it will also be more convenient.' While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication.

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

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