Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter to request for cancellation of my booking for the part-time course, which I booked from your college.

Earlier, I was keen to learn music in my free time. Last weekend I confirmed a booking of music class which will be held in your college as i enjoy my free time to learn something new which can enhance the quality of life.

As, I want to improve my communication skills as well, which is more important for an individual. I want to give free time to learn effectively skills for enhancing overall personality and boost my confidence.

Rather than music course, could you enroll me in English speaking course, in which i can improve my communication skills, which can help towards my carrier too.

Thank you, for considering my application of cancellation of course. I would look forward to your reply.

Yours faithfully,

Manju

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points of the prompt: identifying the course, explaining the reason for cancellation, and requesting a change. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter. However, the explanation for the cancellation is slightly repetitive and could be more concise. The transition between the music course and the English course is clear, but the justification for the change could be more professionally articulated to better suit the context of a college administrator. Overall, the task is fully addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter follows a logical progression, moving from the purpose of the letter to the explanation and finally the request. Paragraphing is used, though the paragraph breaks are somewhat abrupt. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Rather than' and 'As', but some links feel slightly mechanical. The referencing is generally clear, though the flow between the second and third paragraphs could be improved by better connecting the desire for communication skills to the specific request for the English course.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to convey their meaning clearly. There are some instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'effectively skills' and 'carrier' (instead of 'career'). While the range is sufficient to cover the requirements, it lacks the precision and variety expected at higher bands. The use of 'keen to learn' and 'enhance the quality of life' shows an attempt to use more sophisticated language, but the overall lexical control is limited.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'request for cancellation' (should be 'request the cancellation'), 'i' (should be capitalized), and 'which is more important for an individual' (a sentence fragment). Punctuation is generally functional, but the misuse of commas (e.g., 'As, I want...') and capitalization errors detract from the overall accuracy. While communication is not impeded, these frequent errors prevent a higher score.

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

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