Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-15

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 or Madam,

I am writing this letter to request for a cancellation of a part-time course in which I enrolled in the last month of July. The course name is Refrigeration 313A, in which I want upgrade my current residential license to commercial. Although, I am keen to learn more about new technology, this course not only boost my knoweldge but also it will help in my career growth.

The reason why I want to discontinue this course is scarcity of funds. Yesterday, I received a call from my parents that they need an emergnecy funds for a medical uncertainity so that I am unable to pay remaining amount at this moment. I hope you will understand this situation and take this matter into your consideration at your earliest convenience.

I would grateful if you could either refund me the paid amount or offer me a different course. I looked into your college website, a sheet metal license will cost the same as the paid amount. Please let me know at your earliest opportunity, and I will accommodate with this new changes.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully,

Gurdeep Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly identify the course (Refrigeration 313A), provide a plausible reason for cancellation (financial hardship due to a family medical emergency), and inquire about switching to a different course (sheet metal license). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to an administrator. The purpose of the letter is clear from the outset, 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 focuses on a specific aspect of the task, which helps the reader follow your argument easily. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Although', 'The reason why', and 'I would be grateful if', to link your sentences and ideas. However, the transition between the first and second paragraphs could be smoother, and some cohesive devices are used in a slightly mechanical way. Overall, the structure is clear, and the paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different sections of your request.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'enrolled', 'discontinue', 'scarcity of funds', and 'accommodate'. There are some spelling errors, such as 'knoweldge' instead of 'knowledge' and 'emergnecy' instead of 'emergency', which slightly detract from the overall quality. Additionally, some word choices are slightly awkward, such as 'I will accommodate with this new changes', where 'accommodate' is used incorrectly. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise control over vocabulary and spelling to reach a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is good. However, there are several grammatical errors throughout the text. For example, 'I am writing this letter to request for a cancellation' should be 'to request a cancellation'. The phrase 'in which I want upgrade' is missing the infinitive marker 'to', and 'this course not only boost my knoweldge but also it will help' contains a tense inconsistency and a missing verb form. Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear, and the errors do not significantly impede 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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