Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-17
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,
I am writing this letter to request you regarding project management part time course which i booked recently.
Last week, I booked a project management part time Couse on your college portal for the next session. I am a student of IT background and I didn't have knowledge or interest in project management. I thought that this course was project management IT But, when I deeply read the description of course yesterday it was totally different as its related to business profession. However, I am afraid for this mistake and request you to cancel my course and enroll me for Cyber Security part time course. I hope you would understand my situation and give me a chance to change my enrolment. I will be very thankful to you.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The candidate partially addresses all parts of the task. They successfully identify the course booked (the project management part-time course) and explain the reason for cancellation due to a misunderstanding of the syllabus. They also attempt to ask about booking a different course, specifically asking to enroll in the Cyber Security course. However, the response falls short of the 150-word minimum, containing only 130 words. This under-length impacts the full development of ideas, leading to a penalty under Task Achievement where the response is restricted to a Band 5.0 level. To improve, the student must ensure all bullet points are fully expanded and meet the minimum word count requirement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement despite its brief length. The salutation is correct, and the opening sentence clearly states the purpose of the letter. Logical sequencing is present, moving from the booking details to the realization of the mistake and the request for a change. However, paragraphing is somewhat weak, as the main body is squashed into a single overly long paragraph that contains multiple ideas. Cohesive devices are used, but they are sometimes awkward, such as starting a sentence with 'However, I am afraid for this mistake'. Reference words are generally clear, but the overall flow can be refined with better organizational markers.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The lexical resource displayed is adequate for the task. The student attempts some less common vocabulary such as 'enrolment', 'syllabus description', and 'profession', but encounters word choice and collocation errors, such as 'request you regarding', 'I didn't have knowledge', and 'afraid for this mistake'. Spelling is mostly accurate, though 'Couse' is used instead of 'course'. The vocabulary allows the writer to convey their message, but the limited range and noticeable errors place this performance firmly at Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'I am writing this letter to request you regarding...' and 'when I deeply read the description of course yesterday it was totally different...'. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation issues, including lowercase letters at the start of new sentences ('But, when...', 'IT But'), missing articles ('description of course'), and preposition misuse ('request you regarding'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the writing from achieving a Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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