Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-25

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 about the cancellation of the part-tinme course I recently booked. I booked a seat in the cookery course on the 15 of October.

Unfortunately, I am not able to start this course as I am going to start my full-time course in the kitchen management. This course is nearly one year of duration. However, after completing this course, I will join this course next year. If I join both courses together, I will be very hectic for me so I decided to cancel this part-time course. I deeply apolozise the inconvenient this may couse.

I would therfore request that you kindly postpone my booking seat for next year. I would appreciate if you could send me the availaible dates of this course. If you need any futher information regarding my pervious booking, please let me know.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Manish Thakur.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The candidate successfully covers all three bullet points required in the task instructions. First, the writer clearly states which part-time course was booked by mentioning the cookery course on the 15th of October. Second, the reason for cancellation is adequately explained, noting that a full-time course in kitchen management is starting and that taking both concurrently would be too hectic. Third, the letter asks about booking a different or postponed course by requesting available dates for next year. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a college administrator. The ideas are relevant and fully developed, satisfying the requirements for Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter exhibits a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information is grouped appropriately into paragraphs: the opening states the purpose, the second paragraph details the reasons and apologies, and the final paragraphs request next steps. Cohesive devices such as 'Unfortunately', 'However', and 'If' are used with reasonable flexibility, although there is a minor mechanical feel in places. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, guiding the reader smoothly through the correspondence. The referencing and overall structure are clear, supporting a solid Band 7.0 score.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, with some attempts at less common items such as 'cancellation', 'postpone', and 'further information'. However, there are some noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as 'part-tinme' instead of 'part-time', 'apolozise' for 'apologize', 'inconvenient' for 'inconvenience', 'couse' for 'cause', 'therfore' therefore, 'availaible' for 'available', and 'pervious' for 'previous'. Despite these spelling slips, the vocabulary used is adequate to convey the intended meaning without impeding communication, placing the response firmly at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating conditional clauses ('If I join both courses together...') and temporal clauses. There are several grammatical errors present, such as 'It will be very hectic for me' (where 'It' lacks a clear antecedent for the situation, or should be 'things will be') and minor prepositional or phrasing awkwardness, such as 'postpone my booking seat'. Additionally, the sentence 'I would appreciate if you could send me...' misses 'it' before 'if'. However, these errors rarely impede communication and sentence structures show variety, justifying a Band 6.0.

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

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