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,

I am writing to inform you that I want to cancel a part-time, I have booked at your college. The course I have booked is a cookery course that is going to start next month.

Initially, I was thinking that learning cooking professionally would be beneficial to survive as I was planning to move to another country for better job opportunities. However, I have dropped the plan to migrate to abroad, so I do not think still I want to learn cooking that is why I would like to cancel my booking for the existing course.

Instead I would love to take an admission in a part-time coding course because I believe it will definitely assist me in my future career in IT field.

I hope you will consider my request and re-book the course for me.

Thank you so much for your understanding and support.

I am looking forward to your response promptly.

Yours faithfully,

Pooja Rani

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The candidate has successfully covered all three bullet points required by the task. First, the specific part-time course (a cookery course starting next month) is clearly identified in the opening paragraph. Second, the reason for cancellation—the change in migration plans and a shift in personal priorities—is explained adequately. Third, the letter asks about booking a different course, specifically a coding course, fulfilling the final requirement. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a college administrator, and the purpose of the communication is clear throughout. Although some ideas are fairly straightforward rather than deeply extended, the task is fully addressed and covers all requirements well in accordance with the Band 7 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter exhibits clear logical organisation and progression from stating the purpose of the writing to explaining the background and finally proposing an alternative course. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate each main point, making the letter easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'Initially', 'However', 'Instead', and 'Therefore' are employed to guide the reader through the transitions, although phrasing like 'that is why I would like to' is a bit wordy and mechanical. Referencing throughout the text is clear, and the overall structure remains coherent from the formal salutation down to the sign-off.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'administrator', 'professional', 'beneficial', and 'opportunities'. However, there are some unnatural collocations and word choices, notably 'take an admission' instead of 'enrol' or 'gain admission', and 'migrate to abroad' instead of simply 'migrate abroad' or 'move abroad'. Spelling is accurate throughout, and while the range of less common lexical items is somewhat limited, the vocabulary used is sufficient to communicate the message clearly without causing misunderstandings, fitting the Band 6 profile.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as subordinate clauses introduced by 'that' and 'because'. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings present, including 'I want to cancel a part-time, I have booked' (unnecessary comma and missing noun), 'do not think still I want' (awkward word order), and 'response promptly' instead of 'a prompt response'. While these errors occasionally disrupt the flow, they do not impede communication, and the meaning remains clear. Punctuation is generally acceptable, supporting a solid Band 6 level of grammatical control.

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

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