Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-22

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 6.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this to request you about canceling an online course, which I booked it mistakenly. Although I wanted to book the "Machine Learning" course, but not with "C++" coding.

Last week my working schedule was very hectic and I was feeling tired when I booked the course. Instead of booking the course with "Python" coding , I booked with "C++", which is not suitable for my current job requirements. That is the main reason I want it to be cancelled.

I would really appreciate if you could replace my currently booked course with my preferred course as both the courses have same fee. If that option is not available at your end, I want you to cancel the booking and issue me a full refund for the course. I will book the new course from the website later on.

I hope you would solve this

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The student adequately addresses the task requirements by mentioning the part-time course they booked ('Machine Learning') and the confusion with 'C++' coding instead of 'Python'. They explain their reason for cancellation clearly, related to job requirements, fulfilling the criteria effectively. Additionally, they ask about booking a different course or request a refund, meeting all parts of the task. Overall, the response achieves the task with a clear structure but could benefit from more detail about the preferred course. Overall, the response is complete and addresses all aspects of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is generally clear, but coherence and cohesion could be improved. The use of connectors is limited; phrases like 'instead of booking' and 'which is not suitable' may confuse readers without a smoother transition. There are instances of abrupt topic shifts, especially when discussing the refund which could be more clearly delineated. A more structured approach, such as using paragraphs, would help organize thoughts better. Each paragraph could deal with distinct ideas for clarity and flow, such as stating the cancellation, the reason, and the new course request separately.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate but lacks sophistication. Words such as 'canceling,' 'mistakenly,' and 'suitable' convey basic meaning but could be replaced with more precise or varied terms for a higher band score. The phrase 'I want it to be cancelled' could be improved to a more formal expression like 'I would like to request cancellation of the booking.' Additionally, using synonyms for 'course' or 'booking' could enhance lexical variety, showing a better range and flexibility of language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

Grammatical range and accuracy need improvement. The sentence structures are often simple and repetitive, with some errors present, such as 'booked it mistakenly' (should be 'booked mistakenly') and 'want it to be cancelled' (should be 'want this to be cancelled'). Some commas are used incorrectly, potentially leading to run-on sentences, like, 'Although I wanted to book the "Machine Learning" course, but not with "C++" coding.' Such errors can obscure clarity and hinder comprehension. Varied sentence structures and careful proofreading could improve overall grammatical accuracy.

Overall feedback

You have addressed the task well, clearly stating the course you wish to cancel and your reasons for doing so. Your letter includes a request for changing the course or obtaining a refund, which fulfills the requirements. To enhance your writing, focus on improving the flow and organization by using transitions and separate paragraphs for distinct ideas. Additionally, consider expanding your vocabulary to include more accurate and varied terms. Lastly, pay attention to grammatical accuracy, especially with sentence structure and punctuation to avoid ambiguity in your statements.

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

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