Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-14

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,

Subject: Cancellation of my course booking.

I am writing to cancellation of my part-time Project Management course, which is going to start with the next batch. I was very excited to join this course but, I have to go to Toronto next week for my urgent business meetings which require me to stay there for atleast 2 months to attend my all meetings, as well as seminars. These are very crucial for me and my company to get top natch sponsers and great deals. I tried a lot to reschedule my meetings but unfortunately I faild to reschedule it.

In addition, I would like to request you to refund my credits so I can use my these credits for a reservation of Digital Marketing course, which is going to start after 4 months. I hope that you will understand me. I would be thankful to you for your this help.

I looking forward to your positive response.

Yours faithfully,

Sukhbir.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You successfully covered all three bullet points required in the task instructions. You clearly stated which part-time course you booked by mentioning the Project Management course. You explained the reason for your cancellation by describing your urgent business trip to Toronto for meetings and seminars that require your presence for two months. Furthermore, you asked about booking a different course by requesting that your credits be transferred toward a Digital Marketing course starting in four months. The purpose of the letter is clear and maintained throughout. The tone is generally appropriate for a semi-formal or formal request to a college administrator. Ideas are sufficiently extended and supported, fulfilling the requirements for a Band 7 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

Your letter has a clear overall progression, moving logically from the announcement of cancellation and its justification to the request for credit transfer and future booking. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate your main points into distinct sections, and you included an appropriate formal opening and closing. However, your use of cohesive devices is sometimes slightly repetitive or mechanical, as seen in transitions like 'In addition' and referencing choices such as 'use my these credits'. Overall, the logical organization is clear throughout, supporting a solid Band 6.5 to 7.0 performance.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrated an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common collocations such as 'urgent business meetings', 'crucial', and 'reschedule my meetings'. However, there are several lexical errors and awkward word choices that detract from precision. For instance, writing 'I am writing to cancellation of' contains a grammatical word-form error, 'top natch' is misspelled and informal, and 'sponsers' contains a spelling mistake. Additionally, phrases like 'use my these credits' show awkward determiner usage. These errors do not impede communication, placing your vocabulary score at a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You attempted a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating clauses with 'which' and 'so that' to connect your ideas. However, your writing contains frequent grammatical errors, particularly regarding verb forms, tenses, and prepositions. Examples include 'I am writing to cancellation of', 'for atleast 2 months', 'attend my all meetings', 'unfortunately I faild', and 'I looking forward to'. Furthermore, there is a punctuation and structural run-on issue in the sentence 'I was very excited to join this course but, I have to go...', where the comma placement is incorrect. Because these errors occur frequently and occasionally cause the reader some difficulty, your grammar performance aligns with a Band 5.5.

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

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