Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-21

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 6.0)

Dear Sir ,

I am writing this email to cancel my reservation for french course at your college .

Actually i have booked the short-term course for these summer holidays which supposed to start from 13th May and will end in mid August . I booked this course to help my immigration application that i am going to submit next year .

However, due to some circumstances, I would not able to persue . As , I am going back my country to visiting my Parents in these holidays . Therefore, I would not able to join in person classes which this French course demands . I have checked already this course does not provide any online mode of classes .

I would like ask you to either cancel this course or suggest me any other course which has an option of virtual classes . I would more interested in advanced computer classes . Kindly suggest some option as per my convenience .

Thank you for your assistance .

Your faithfully,

Sania

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully covers all the required bullet points from the prompt. You clearly stated which course you booked by mentioning the short-term French course starting in May, explained the need to cancel due to a family visit and the lack of an online mode, and asked about booking an alternative course, specifically expressing interest in advanced computer classes. The purpose of the letter is clear throughout, and an appropriate semi-formal tone is maintained for the most part. All requirements of the task have been met effectively, establishing a clear and logical storyline that directly addresses the college administrator.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is generally coherent and easy to follow, with a logical progression of ideas from stating the cancellation to explaining the reasons and finally asking for alternatives. Paragraphing is used to separate different thoughts, such as the booking details, the cancellation reason, and the request for a new course. However, cohesive devices are somewhat basic or mechanically linked at times, such as the frequent use of 'As' and 'Therefore' in close proximity. Additionally, sentence-level punctuation and transitional phrasing could be smoother to ensure a more natural flow between your reasons and requests.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your message clearly. You attempted some less common items such as 'reservation', 'short-term course', and 'virtual classes'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as writing 'french course' instead of 'French course', 'would not able to persue' instead of 'pursue', and 'going back my country to visiting my Parents' which contains grammatical and lexical awkwardness. While communication is never impeded, these inaccuracies prevent the response from achieving a higher band score in lexical resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You have attempted a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as using subordinate clauses introduced by 'due to' and 'because'. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, particularly regarding missing auxiliary verbs and incorrect verb forms, such as 'which supposed to start', 'I would not able to persue', and 'I would not able to join in person classes'. Punctuation errors, such as spaces before commas and incorrect capitalization ('Parents'), also occur. These errors require the reader to occasionally reread parts of sentences, placing it firmly in the Band 5 category.

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

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