Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to cancel my part-time course which I recently booked at your college.

To begin with, I booked a course related to improve my communication skills which take time in the evening from 5 to 8 but due to my shifts which recently changed by manager I want to cancel it.

Before I have day shifts, so I want to take this course in the evening to enhance my communication skills, but unfortunately due to shortage of staff my changer changes my shifts and now I have to do night shifts from 5 to 12, so it is difficult for me take the class at that time.

Furthermore, I searched online on collage website and know there is a cooking course in the morning from 9 to 11, which is also beneficial for me because I live alone in Canada and I need to prepare my food as well as it is also helpful for my job, so I want to join that course.

I am looking forward to your prompt response.

Yours faithfully,

Rupinder Kaur.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You identified the course, provided a clear reason for the cancellation (a shift change), and inquired about an alternative cooking course. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to an administrator. To reach a higher band, ensure that the details provided are more concise and avoid repetitive explanations. For instance, the explanation regarding your shift change is slightly wordy and could be streamlined to improve the flow of the letter while maintaining the professional tone required for this task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a specific purpose. You used some cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Furthermore', and 'unfortunately' to link your ideas. However, the progression between sentences is occasionally hindered by repetitive phrasing and some awkward transitions. For example, the transition between your current situation and the request for a new course could be smoother. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph focuses on a single, well-developed point would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully conveying your meaning. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and spelling, such as 'collage' instead of 'college' and 'changer' instead of 'manager'. These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your writing. To improve, try to use more specific collocations related to professional or academic settings. Expanding your vocabulary to include more formal alternatives for common verbs will help you achieve a higher band score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. However, there are several grammatical errors, particularly with verb tenses and subject-verb agreement, such as 'which take time' (should be 'takes') and 'Before I have day shifts' (should be 'Previously, I had'). Additionally, there are some punctuation and phrasing issues that affect the clarity of your sentences. While these errors rarely impede the reader's understanding, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on consistent tense usage and proofreading for basic agreement errors will be beneficial.

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

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