Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-27

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 7.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

Hope you are doing well. I am writing this email to request a change in my part-time course enrollment, that is from database administration to computer science. I am familiar with your strict policies, however I have not yet paid the tuition fees, which provides me an option to cancel my current booking.

First of all, I would like to explain that last week I booked a career counselling session at your college. Upon assessment the counseller suggested me to opt for computer science with mathematics to broaden my career opportunities in the field of information technology. Moreover, to my database course it is definitely a better choice, but when compared to generic field, it opens numerous future gateways for me.

As a result, I have decided to make an inter-department switch for my enrollment. I would like get some more information regarding this new academic program along with academic curriculum, tuition fees and seat availability.

I am looking forward to your prompt respose.

Yours faithfully,

John Doe

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points of the prompt: identifying the course, explaining the reason for cancellation, and inquiring about a new course. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to an administrator. However, the development of ideas is slightly uneven. While the explanation for the switch is clear, the request for information regarding the new course could be more specific to demonstrate a better grasp of the task's requirements. Overall, the purpose of the letter is clear and the response is well-focused on the task requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph serves a distinct purpose, moving from the request to the explanation and finally to the inquiry. You have used some cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'Moreover', and 'As a result' to link your ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the flow between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the overall structure is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'enrollment', 'counselling session', and 'academic curriculum'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'to my database course' (which should be 'compared to my database course') and 'generic field'. While you attempt to use more sophisticated vocabulary, some collocations are slightly unnatural. Nevertheless, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly throughout the letter without any significant misunderstanding.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'I am writing this email to request...' and 'I am familiar with your strict policies, however I have not yet paid...'. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'suggested me to opt' (should be 'suggested that I opt' or 'advised me to opt') and 'respose' (spelling error). Punctuation is generally correct, though there is a minor error with the comma splice in the first paragraph. These errors do not impede communication.

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

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