Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-19

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 to request a cancellation for my part-time course which I recently booked. I had enroll in therapeutic recreation, as I believed this course would support my physiotherapy degree and expand my horizons.

One of my friend suggest me this course will not help me to gain extra knowledge and broaden my perspective. The course is quietly similar as my previous course. Therefore, I would like to cancel my booking.

I would also like to ask you about other courses such as, FDN ( Functional dry Needling), and Acupuncture. I need to know academic fees and duration of these courses. In addition, I am interested to book these courses if they support my previous education and help me to improve my my rehabilitation strategies.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration. I will wait for to know your response for additional courses.

Yours faithfully,

Riya Patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: identifying the course, explaining the reason for cancellation, and inquiring about alternative options. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to an administrator. However, the explanation for the cancellation is slightly confusing; you mention that a friend suggested the course would not be helpful, which contradicts your initial statement that you believed it would support your degree. To improve, ensure your reasoning is consistent and clearly articulated. The letter follows the required structure and covers all necessary information to fulfill the task requirements effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a specific purpose. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Therefore', 'In addition', and 'However' (implied) to link your ideas. While the progression of ideas is generally clear, some transitions feel slightly mechanical. For instance, the jump between the friend's advice and the decision to cancel could be smoother. The use of paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter, and the overall structure helps the reader follow your request without difficulty. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices to connect sentences more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using terms like 'therapeutic recreation', 'physiotherapy degree', and 'rehabilitation strategies'. There are some minor word-choice errors, such as 'quietly similar' (should be 'quite similar') and 'academic fees' (usually 'course fees' or 'tuition fees'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Attempting to use more sophisticated collocations or idiomatic expressions appropriate for a formal context would enhance your score. Overall, your vocabulary is functional and allows for clear communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. Examples include 'I had enroll' (should be 'I had enrolled'), 'One of my friend suggest me' (should be 'One of my friends suggested to me'), and 'I will wait for to know' (should be 'I look forward to hearing'). These errors are frequent but do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement, verb tenses, and preposition usage. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures while maintaining accuracy will help you achieve a higher band score.

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

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