Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · 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 7.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to request the cancellation of my enrolment in the part-time Business Administration course, which I recently booked at your college.

Unfortunately, due to unexpected change in my work schedule, I will no longer be able to attend the classes at the scheduled times. My employer has recently assigned me additional evening shifts, which conflicts directly with the course timetable. Although I had been looking forward to undertaking this programme, however, I am concerned that continuing with it would prevent me from attending classes regularly and keeping up with coursework.

I would therefore be very grateful if you could cancel my current booking and let me know whether I am eligible for a refund of the course fee, either in full or in accordance with the college's cancellation policy.

I would also like to enquire about transferring my enrolment to a different part-time course with a more flexible timetable. In particular, I am interested in the Digital Marketing course. Could you please let me know more information about its available schedules and fees?

I apologies for any inconvinience that may have caused and would appriciate your assistance in making this change.

Yours faithfully,

Mahima Dureja

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.0

The response successfully covers all bullet points of the task. You clearly stated the specific course you booked (the Business Administration course), explained the reason for cancellation due to an unexpected change in your work schedule and additional evening shifts, and asked about booking a different course (the Digital Marketing course) while inquiring about schedules and fees. The tone is appropriately formal and polite for a letter to a college administrator. The purpose of the letter is evident from the very beginning and maintained throughout. Ideas are well developed and fully extended, meeting all requirements of the task descriptor for Band 8.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

The letter is logically organised with clear progression throughout. Each paragraph serves a distinct purpose, moving smoothly from the initial request to reasons for cancellation, refund inquiries, alternative course requests, and finally the closing apology. Paragraphing is used effectively and appropriately. Cohesive devices are handled well, such as 'Unfortunately', 'Although', and 'In particular'. There is a minor slip in cohesion ('Although I had been looking forward to undertaking this programme, however, I am...') where 'although' and 'however' are redundantly combined in the same sentence, but overall the writing flows very naturally and is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.0

You demonstrate a sufficient and flexible range of vocabulary appropriate for a formal request letter, using terms such as 'cancellation of my enrolment', 'timetable', 'eligible for a refund', and 'transferring my enrolment'. Less common lexical items are used with some awareness of style and collocation. However, there are a couple of noticeable spelling and vocabulary errors, notably 'inconvinience' (inconvenience), 'appriciate' (appreciate), and the minor phrasing issue of 'more information about its available schedules' where 'further details regarding' would sound more formal and natural. These minor inaccuracies prevent a higher score, but communication is never impeded.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.5

The letter demonstrates a good variety of complex sentence structures, such as conditional clauses ('let me know whether I am eligible...') and relative clauses ('which conflicts directly with the course timetable'). The majority of sentences are error-free, and you maintain good control of grammar and punctuation overall. There is one minor grammatical flaw in the second paragraph where 'unexpected change' is missing a plural or article ('an unexpected change'), alongside the aforementioned redundant use of 'although' and 'however'. Despite these occasional errors, the range of structures used is varied and accurate enough to comfortably meet the criteria for a Band 7.5.

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