Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-11

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 Madam,

I am Gagandeep Kaur, enrolled current in business communications course, I am writing to inform you that I need to cancel my part-time course. As you know that it is a part time course so I will not be able to do a part time job. I am struggling from financial problems. I need to find a full-time course so that I can do my part-time job with this.

I want some other options that will meet requirements of a full-time student needs. One of my friend was enrolled in associates of arts. I found it quite interesting, I want to know if any seats are available for me for that course. Due to this I will be able to ask about my assignments from my friend. It will be easier for me to get good grades by taking help from her.

I will be very thankful for you if you can change this course for me, and I am sorry for my inconvenience.

Kind regards,

Gagandeep Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all three bullet points of the prompt: identifying the course, explaining the reason for cancellation, and inquiring about an alternative. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter. However, the explanation regarding the financial situation and the request for a different course could be more clearly linked to the college's administrative processes. The ideas are relevant, but the development is slightly simplistic. To reach a higher band, ensure that the connection between the financial struggle and the need for a full-time course is articulated with more professional clarity, as the current explanation is a bit repetitive.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter follows a logical progression, starting with the purpose of the letter, moving to the explanation, and concluding with the request. Paragraphing is present, though the transition between the explanation of the financial situation and the request for a new course is somewhat abrupt. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'As you know' and 'Due to this', but they are occasionally used in a slightly mechanical or unnatural way. The referencing is generally clear, and the reader can easily follow the writer's intent throughout the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate their needs effectively. There are some instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'struggling from financial problems' (should be 'struggling with') and 'sorry for my inconvenience' (which implies the writer caused the inconvenience to themselves, rather than apologizing for the trouble caused to the college). While the range is sufficient to convey the message, there is limited use of less common or more sophisticated vocabulary that would demonstrate a higher level of lexical control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'enrolled current in' (should be 'currently enrolled in') and 'One of my friend' (should be 'One of my friends'). Additionally, there are punctuation issues, such as comma splices in the first paragraph. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. The writer demonstrates an attempt at complex sentences, but the control over these structures is inconsistent.

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

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