Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-05

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,

I am writing to request to cancel my enrollment in part-time course at Conestoga college I enrolled for the spring 2027 term last month.

I am Malleswari Katari, planned to join in French language proficiency course that is going to commence in January 2027. However, I decided not to move forward with this course. This is because of the recent developments in my work. It has demanded to gain skills in business analyst. Learning these not only enhances my professional skill sets but also helps me quality for a promotion as a business system analyst that my company is currently looking for.

I would kindly request to accept my cancellation of the course that I had taken up for upcoming intake. Additionally, I would like to get more information on the business analyst course. Specially, I would like to know below:

When is the course starting?

what is the duration of the course?

What is the fee structure?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

Malleswari Katari

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly identified the French course, provided a logical reason for the cancellation related to professional development, and included specific questions regarding the business analyst course. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to an administrator. To reach a higher band, ensure that the opening and closing salutations are consistent; you began with 'Dear Sir or Madam' as instructed, but signed off with 'Dear Sir' in the body, which is slightly inconsistent. Overall, the purpose of the letter is clear and the requirements are fully met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter follows a logical structure, with each paragraph focusing on a specific requirement of the task. The progression of ideas is clear, moving from the cancellation request to the explanation and finally the inquiry. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'However' and 'Additionally', to link your ideas. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words to connect sentences more fluidly. For instance, the transition between your explanation and the request for information could be smoother. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the different stages of your communication.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using terms like 'enrollment', 'commence', and 'professional skill sets'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'helps me quality for a promotion' (should be 'qualify') and 'demanded to gain skills' (which is slightly unnatural). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the vocabulary from being considered 'flexible' or 'precise'. Incorporating more natural collocations related to academic administration would elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I am writing to request to cancel' (should be 'request the cancellation of' or 'request to cancel'), and 'I am Malleswari Katari, planned to join' (which is a fragment). Additionally, there are minor punctuation issues, such as missing articles before 'part-time course' and 'business analyst'. While these errors are noticeable, they do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles.

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

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