Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-22

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 or Madan,

I am writing regarding the part time computer course that i recently booked in your college. Which is starting on 15th October from eleven in morning.

I register for advance learning of computer language.Unfortunately i am not able to complete it because my family is not supporting me for this course and also i want to change my stream to accounts so this course will be waste of time for me.

However, I want to register for accounts course which is starting from next month. Because it covers all the topic which are required to complete my drgree and helps me to join my family bussines.

I would appreciate it if you could provide me with information about the new course and the process of changing my booking.

Your faithfully,

Harleen

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

You successfully covered all bullet points in the task instructions: you specified the course you booked (part-time computer course), explained your cancellation reason (lack of family support and changing to accounts), and asked about booking a different course. However, your response has a word count of 135 words, which is below the mandatory 150-word minimum specified in the task instructions. Because the length requirement was not met, this penalises your Task Achievement score. To improve, ensure you expand further on your ideas to comfortably exceed the minimum word limit. Band score: 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

Your letter is structured with appropriate paragraphing for an informal business communication. You open with the correct salutation 'Dear Sir or Madam,' (noting a slight spelling typo 'Madan') and close appropriately with 'Your faithfully,' followed by your name. Progression of ideas is generally clear, moving from the booking to the cancellation reason and finally to the alternative course inquiry. However, cohesive devices are somewhat basic or occasionally mechanical ('However,', 'Because'), and referencing is sometimes weak, such as starting a sentence with 'Which is starting...'. Paragraphs are also very short. With more developed cohesive links and smoother transitions, a higher band could be achieved. Band score: 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task and successfully communicates your meaning. You use some relevant topic-specific terms like 'part time computer course', 'register', 'cancel', and 'booking'. However, there are noticeable word-choice and spelling inaccuracies throughout the text, such as 'Madan' instead of 'Madam', 'advance learning' instead of 'advanced learning', 'computer language' instead of 'computing' or 'programming', 'drgree' instead of 'degree', and 'bussines' instead of 'business'. Furthermore, the vocabulary range is limited and relies on repetitive, simple phrasing. To reach higher bands, you need to demonstrate greater precision and flexibility in word choice and avoid basic spelling errors. Band score: 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'I would appreciate it if you could provide me with information...'. However, control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are several sentence boundary errors, such as fragmenting a relative clause into a separate sentence ('Which is starting on 15th October...'). You also missed capitalisation ('i', 'advance learning') and made punctuation errors with spacing around commas and periods (e.g., 'recently booked in your college. Which', 'language.Unfortunately i'). Verb forms and prepositions also show inaccuracies ('in your college' instead of 'at your college', 'register for advance learning'). While communication is not severely impeded, these frequent errors place your grammar firmly in the Band 5.5 category. Band score: 5.5.

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

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