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 cancel 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 at least 2 months to attend my all meetings, as well as seminars. These are very crucial for me and my company to get top notch sponsors 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 assistance.

I looking forward to your positive response.

Yours faithfully,

Sukhbir.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly state the specific part-time course you booked ("Project Management course"), provide a detailed explanation for why you need to cancel ("urgent business meetings which require me to stay there for at least 2 months"), and effectively ask about booking a different course ("use my these credits for a reservation of Digital Marketing course"). The tone of the letter is polite and appropriate for corresponding with a college administrator. The message is communicated clearly and directly to the reader, fulfilling all task requirements well. Ideas are extended with relevant details, demonstrating a strong understanding of how to construct a functional letter for General Training Task 1.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter maintains a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. You have used an appropriate opening ("Dear Sir or Madam,") and closing ("Yours faithfully,"). Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate your main points, starting with the course cancellation and reasons, followed by the refund request and booking alternative. Cohesive devices are generally handled well with words like "In addition" and "so", though there is some minor awkwardness in referencing, such as "use my these credits". Overall, the arrangement of ideas is coherent and easy for the reader to follow from beginning to end.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate to good range of vocabulary suited for a formal letter, successfully using phrases like "part-time course," "business meetings," "reschedule my meetings," and "positive response." There are some minor lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as "attend my all meetings" (word order) and "faild to reschedule it" (spelling and pronoun agreement, as 'meetings' is plural). You also attempt less common vocabulary items such as "top notch sponsors" and "assistance," showing an awareness of style, even if minor slips in word choice or phrasing occur. Communication is never impeded by these lexical limitations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating your ability to link clauses with conjunctions like "which," "and," and "so." There are several grammatical errors scattered throughout the text, such as the tense usage in "is going to start with the next batch," the missing article in "reservation of Digital Marketing course," and the awkward phrase "use my these credits." Additionally, "I looking forward" lacks the auxiliary verb 'am'. However, these errors do not impede communication, and you maintain good control over the overall meaning of your sentences.

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

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