Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-25

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 5.5)

Dear sir,

Hope your are doing well, I would like to tell you regarding part-time course at your college. I had recently booked a cource, I want to apologizewith you for now I am not willing to this course.

I am ex student of this college and I was interested to learn about some writting skills and I wished to improve my writting also, I want to learn cursive writting. one of the significant factor of that in future I would be able to open my writting school.

Meanwhile, I go a great oppoutunity regarding my degree,Therefore, my entire focus has shifted to this. For now I should gave more time to my job. Moreover, the primary reason is that to cancel my booking of the part-time course.

On the other hand, now I want to enhance my computre skills and I should have to pay attention on my job. Futhermore, I would like to ask regarding some IT skills. I want to know do you offer any IT diploma and etc. If it has availabe then please response me back.

Yours Faithfully,

Ali,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points: identifying the course, explaining the reason for cancellation, and inquiring about a different course. However, the development of these points is somewhat disjointed. For instance, the explanation regarding your career shift is a bit confusingly phrased, and the transition between your past interest in writing and your current need for IT skills lacks clarity. While the task requirements are met, the tone is occasionally inconsistent, and the purpose of the letter could be stated more directly in the opening paragraph to ensure the administrator understands your intent immediately.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or misused. For example, 'On the other hand' is used incorrectly to introduce a new topic rather than a contrasting one. Additionally, some sentences are fragmented or lack logical flow, such as the transition between your previous writing goals and your new job focus. While the overall message is understandable, the progression of ideas would benefit from more natural linking words and better sentence-to-sentence connectivity.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but there are several spelling errors ('cource', 'apologizewith', 'oppoutunity', 'computre', 'Futhermore') and word choice issues. You rely on basic vocabulary and struggle with precise collocations. For example, 'one of the significant factor of that' is grammatically awkward and imprecise. To reach a higher band, you should focus on using more accurate terminology related to academic or professional settings and ensure your spelling is consistent. The range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, but it lacks the flexibility and precision required for higher scores.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the letter, including subject-verb agreement ('I should gave more time'), article usage, and sentence structure ('If it has availabe then please response me back'). While you attempt some complex sentences, they often contain errors that distract the reader. Simple sentences are generally clear, but the lack of control over more complex structures limits your score. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like verb tense consistency would significantly improve your accuracy.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.