Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-26
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 4.0)
Dear Madam,
Laset week i was the booked the part time course name is cooking sapanish language classes for my languge improvement but now I cancel my paret time course your booked.
firstly, I am workholic person so i have a timming problem and alots of resposibilty of my family as well as this langugue is difficult for me ecause of this langugae usefor only spain country not for the other country so maybe its the wastage of time.
Secondly, please can u suggest to me other different course which is theuseful and easily learn the part time to improve my own skills
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.0 |
| Overall | 4.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0
The candidate has failed to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, writing only 103 words. Consequently, the task has not been fully satisfied, as required by the length penalty guidelines. Although all three bullet points were touched upon—mentioning the cooking and Spanish language course, explaining the cancellation reasons due to being a 'workholic' with family responsibilities and considering it a waste of time, and asking for a different course—the ideas remain extremely limited and underdeveloped. The tone is somewhat inappropriate for a formal letter to a college administrator. Due to the significant under-length and limited development, this performance aligns best with Band 4.5, rounded to Band 4.0 for failing the minimum length condition.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5
The letter lacks proper paragraphing and organization, presenting ideas in a rushed, continuous stream without adequate logical progression. While basic cohesive links such as 'firstly' and 'Secondly' are attempted, they are clumsily integrated and do not effectively structure the response. Referencing and punctuation are largely absent or incorrect, making the overall arrangement confusing for the reader. The transition between stating the course, explaining the cancellation, and asking for a new alternative feels disjointed and abrupt. These limitations place the response firmly at Band 4.5, as the overall coherence is significantly hindered by faulty cohesion and a lack of clear paragraph structure.
Lexical Resource: Band 4.0
The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive, severely limiting the range of expression. The student makes frequent spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'Laset week i was the booked', 'sapanish', 'langugue', 'paret', 'timming', 'alots', 'resposibilty', and 'usefor'. There are no examples of less common or idiomatic vocabulary, and terms are often misused or misspelled to the point where they occasionally strain the reader's understanding. This restricted vocabulary and the high density of lexical errors correspond directly to the Band 4 descriptor, where basic vocabulary and frequent errors impede clarity.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.0
The grammatical range is extremely limited, consisting almost entirely of poorly constructed simple and attempted complex sentences that contain severe structural errors. Examples include 'Laset week i was the booked the part time course name is cooking sapanish language classes', 'I am workholic person so i have a timming problem', and 'please can u suggest to me other different course which is theuseful'. There is a complete lack of control over basic verb tenses, articles, word order, and punctuation, with frequent errors that persistently cause difficulty for the reader and distort meaning, matching the Band 4 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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