Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-07

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/Madam,

I hope you are doing well.

I am writing this letter to inform you to cancel the part-time that i booked. The course I booked was Human Anatomy.. The reason i need to cancel the booking because i had this course on my 1st semester. Furthermore, I would like to book a different course for this semester which is, Pathophysiology. I think this course will help me to improve.

I hope you will understand my situation and cancel the course.

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Warm Regards,

Alex

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses all three bullet points: identifying the course, explaining the reason for cancellation, and requesting a new course. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum requirement, which severely limits the development of the ideas. The explanation for the cancellation is brief, and the request for the new course lacks detail or formal inquiry regarding the process. To achieve a higher band, you must expand on your points—for example, by explaining why you need the new course for your career or asking about the administrative procedure for transferring fees. Because the length requirement is not met, the task is only partially addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter follows a basic logical progression, moving from the purpose of the letter to the explanation and finally the request. However, the paragraphing is insufficient; the entire body of the letter is contained in a single, short paragraph. The use of cohesive devices is limited to simple transitions like 'Furthermore'. To improve, you should use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each main point is developed in its own paragraph to create a more professional and structured flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is functional but basic. You use repetitive phrasing such as 'I booked' and 'the course'. There is a lack of academic or formal vocabulary suitable for a letter to a college administrator. For instance, instead of 'inform you to cancel', a more natural collocation would be 'request the cancellation of'. The range is limited, and the vocabulary does not demonstrate the flexibility required for higher bands. Expanding your range of formal verbs and nouns related to academic administration would significantly improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains several grammatical errors, such as 'inform you to cancel the part-time that i booked' (missing noun 'course') and 'the reason i need to cancel the booking because i had this course' (missing 'is that'). Additionally, there are punctuation errors, such as the double period after 'Human Anatomy..' and the unnecessary comma after 'semester' in the third sentence. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of complex sentence structures and the presence of frequent minor errors keep the score in the mid-range.

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

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