Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-16

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/Madam,

I am writing this letter to request the cancellation of my cooking course that i booked in your college last week.

I chose the special cooking course for 5 months with chef David . It included the learning of culinary skills, dishes presentation, time management and the meal preps. However, after booking the course and thinking about it i have came to realize that is not something i want to pursue anymore. I feel like working under such pressure is not something I will enjoy.

After thinking for a while i have made a decision that i would book a baking course instead. I do really enjoy baking at home for my family and friends and after getting some professional training in it I will be more confident. I would like you to cancel my booking for cooking course and instead sign me up for the baking course. Looking forward to your prompt response.

Yours Sincerely,

Avneet

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points required by the task. You clearly identified the course you booked, provided a logical reason for the cancellation, and made a specific request to switch to a baking course. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to an administrator. To improve, you could provide more specific details about the booking, such as a reference number or the start date, to make the request more realistic and professional. Overall, the response is well-focused and meets the requirements of the prompt effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, with each paragraph focusing on a specific aspect of the task. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'However' and 'instead', to link your thoughts. To reach a higher band, you could use a wider variety of linking words and transition phrases to improve the flow between sentences. For example, instead of starting sentences with 'After thinking', you could use more sophisticated transitions like 'Upon further reflection' or 'Consequently'.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using terms like 'culinary skills', 'presentation', and 'professional training'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and phrasing, such as 'dishes presentation' (which should be 'dish presentation') and 'meal preps' (which is slightly informal). To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and ensuring that your word choices are consistently formal. Expanding your vocabulary to include more varied ways of expressing your intentions would also be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'i have came to realize' (should be 'I have come to realize') and 'is not something i want' (missing subject 'it'). Additionally, there are issues with capitalization, specifically the lowercase 'i' used throughout the text. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and ensure that personal pronouns are always capitalized. Proofreading for these small slips will significantly enhance the accuracy of your writing.

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

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