Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-31
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,
My name is Riya and i recently booked a part-time course at your college however I need to cancel doe to some reason. I booked digital marketing course at your college for part-time which I have to attend every weekends.
Moreover let me explain my situation for this cancelation as I am full-time employee of International company and I need to learn more about Digital marketing as my job require this therefore recently my boss gave me new project and i am the head of this project so sometimes I have to do overtime work and also this project does not need this course so have to learn something else which is related to my further project.
In addition to, i request you to change my booking with different course with time so it will be helpful for me as well as for my work and I can persue other course with you firm.
I hope you consider exchange my booking and I really appreciate your gesture towards me thank you
yours sincerely,
Riya
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly identify the course (Digital Marketing), explain the reason for cancellation (work commitments and project changes), and request a different course. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive, particularly in the second paragraph where the explanation for the cancellation is slightly circular. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is addressed with more concise and professional phrasing. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, though the structure could be more polished to ensure the reader understands your request immediately.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive feature. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally inaccurate. For example, 'In addition to, i request' is grammatically incorrect and disrupts the flow. The transition between the explanation of the job and the request for a new course is a bit abrupt. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'given these circumstances') and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus to guide the reader through your request.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. You rely on basic phrasing such as 'do some reason' and 'learn something else'. There are also issues with word choice, such as 'persue' (misspelled) and 'your firm' (when referring to a college). To improve, try to incorporate more specific professional vocabulary related to course administration and workplace communication. The spelling errors (e.g., 'doe' instead of 'due', 'persue' instead of 'pursue') and the inconsistent use of capital letters for 'I' and 'Digital marketing' detract from the overall quality of the writing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow of reading. Issues include missing articles ('as full-time employee'), subject-verb agreement errors ('job require'), and punctuation mistakes (lack of commas and full stops). The sentence 'I booked digital marketing course at your college for part-time which I have to attend every weekends' is particularly problematic due to the awkward phrasing and pluralization error ('every weekends'). Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement will significantly improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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