Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-04

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 7.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter regarding the cancelation of the advance coloring techniques course that I booked for March.

Unfortunately, I have to cancel it due to a sudden requirement of another course at my work. One of the hairstylist experienced a terrible car accident and had to be hospitalized. Hence, my manger asked me to cover his shifts. It is necessary for me and the business as I am the only most experienced employee after him to work on his place.

I would appreciate if you could provide me some information about the precision cutting course such as tuition fees and class schedule. I am planning to enroll in it as soon as possible as there are several pending appointments and without training I would be unable to do my job.

Thank you for your time and for considering my request. I look forward to your prompt response.

Yours faithfully,

Rajwinder Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly identified the course to be cancelled, provided a logical and detailed reason for the cancellation, and inquired about an alternative course. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to an administrator. The ideas are well-developed, and the purpose of the letter is clear from the beginning. To reach a higher band, ensure that the transition between the explanation of the work situation and the request for the new course is slightly more seamless, though your current structure is already effective for a General Training Task 1 response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph serves a distinct purpose, moving from the purpose of the letter to the explanation and finally the request. You have used cohesive devices such as 'Unfortunately', 'Hence', and 'as soon as possible' to link your ideas effectively. The paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter. To improve, ensure that referencing is always precise; for example, 'work on his place' is slightly awkward and could be replaced with 'take his place' to improve the flow of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'sudden requirement', 'provide me some information', and 'pending appointments' are used correctly. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'One of the hairstylist' (should be plural 'hairstylists') and 'the only most experienced' (which is redundant). However, these errors do not impede communication. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations or less common lexical items related to professional correspondence.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. Most of your sentences are clear and error-free. However, there are a few grammatical slips, such as 'my manger' (spelling error), 'One of the hairstylist' (subject-verb agreement/pluralization), and 'work on his place' (preposition choice). Despite these occasional errors, your control of grammar is generally strong, and your meaning is never obscured. To improve, focus on proofreading for small mechanical errors and ensuring consistent subject-verb agreement throughout your writing.

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

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