Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-27

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 or Madam,

I am writing to request a cancellation of a part-time course that I had enrolled last week.

As we know last week was the deadline to enroll for the fall term. Therefore, I had taken required classes. However, I enrolled myself in human anatomy which at first I find it interesting but later I realized that I had forgotten to take compulsory subject and that only gets offered once a year.

Additionally, I am planning to complete my degree requirement by this summer. Therefore, it is important for me to complete all compulsory subject this year, and drop the part time subject that I had enrolled.

Finally, I would like to request to book a full stack software development course which will enable me to complete my degree requirement by this summer and help me to prepare for a campus placement drive. I hope you understand my concern a

Warm regards,

Jay Patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The candidate has successfully addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt. First, the specific course booked is mentioned ('human anatomy'). Second, the reason for cancellation is explained clearly, relating to a forgotten compulsory subject that is only offered once a year and upcoming graduation requirements. Third, the letter asks about booking a different course, specifically 'a full stack software development course'. The tone of the letter is appropriate for a formal request to a college administrator. Although the letter ends abruptly with an incomplete sentence ('I hope you understand my concern a'), all core task requirements are fulfilled well, which aligns comfortably with a Band 6.5 or 7.0 for this criterion. Because all prompts are covered with clear intentions, a score of 6.5 is awarded.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter is organised into clear paragraphs, starting with a standard greeting and ending with a sign-off. The progression of ideas is generally logical, moving from the initial booking and cancellation reason to the request for an alternative course. Cohesive devices such as 'Therefore', 'However', and 'Additionally' are used to link ideas, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive ('Therefore'). Paragraphing is appropriately handled to separate distinct points, such as the explanation of the mistake and the future plans. While referencing is sometimes a bit clunky (e.g., 'that only gets offered once a year'), overall cohesion is adequate for the task, supporting a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for a general correspondence task, including terms like 'cancellation', 'compulsory subject', 'requirement', and 'placement drive'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies throughout the text, such as saying 'a part-time course that I had enrolled' instead of 'enrolled in', and 'forgotten to take compulsory subject' missing pluralisation. Expressions like 'which at first I find it interesting' contain tense inconsistencies. Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited precision. These errors do not impede communication, but they place the lexical performance firmly at a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('which will enable me to complete my degree requirement') and conditional or temporal clauses. However, grammatical control is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors, including tense shifts ('which at first I find it interesting'), missing prepositions ('enrolled' instead of 'enrolled in'), missing plural forms ('compulsory subject'), and an incomplete final sentence ('I hope you understand my concern a'). Despite these errors, the meaning remains mostly clear to the reader, and complex structures are attempted. This performance meets the Band 5.5 descriptor criteria.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.