Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-06

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,

I am writing this email to inform you that recently I booked a part time course HIST 305. I want to cancel my booking for this course as I mistakenly took this course and it also not in my criteria or required to take this course.

I want to cancel this course because of the timing of this course. The schedule of this class is very weird as well as it collide with my other course timing which is compulsory to do so I can not afford to drop that course Eng 105 for part time course.

Can you please book another course for me. I want to choose COMM 105 course as I have keen interest in general or communication and mass media. Moreover, this course is suitable for me because the timing schedule of this course is suitble with my other courses.

I am waiting for your positive response.

Your faithfully,

Gagan Lakhe

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover all three requested points: you identify HIST 305, explain that its timetable clashes with compulsory ENG 105, and ask to switch to COMM 105. The reason for cancelling is clear and relevant, and you give a useful explanation of why the alternative suits you. This meets the task well, although some details are less fully developed: “I mistakenly took this course” is vague, and it is not clear whether you are asking the college to reserve COMM 105 or simply asking whether you may book it. The letter also uses “Dear Sir” rather than the requested “Dear Sir or Madam,” and “email” is less appropriate for the requested letter. Clarifying the mistaken booking and making the request more precise would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The information is arranged in a generally sensible order: you introduce the booking, explain the cancellation, request another course, and close politely. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these stages, and links such as “because” and “Moreover” show how some ideas relate. However, progression is occasionally weakened by unclear or mechanical phrasing. For example, “I want to cancel this course because of the timing of this course” repeats the same reference, while “Can you please book another course for me” does not clearly connect the request to whether a place is available. The final sentence, “I am waiting for your positive response,” is also somewhat abrupt. Use clearer references and a more natural closing request to make the letter flow more smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the situation, including “part time course,” “schedule,” “compulsory,” and “keen interest.” The course codes and references to timing make the message specific. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “not in my criteria,” “the schedule … is very weird,” and “I have keen interest in general or communication and mass media.” “Positive response” also sounds formulaic in this context. Spelling errors such as “suitble” reduce accuracy. These choices do not prevent the reader from understanding your main points, but they limit precision and naturalness. Prefer conventional administrative language, such as “does not meet my requirements” and “the timetable conflicts with my other class.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a reason clause with “because” and a sentence explaining the timetable conflict. The main message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors occur across the response. For example, “it also not in my criteria” is missing a verb, and “it collide with my other course timing” has an agreement error and an awkwardly formed noun phrase. In “the timing schedule of this course is suitble,” the verb pattern is incorrect; use “the timetable suits me.” There are also issues with articles and sentence construction, as in “I have keen interest.” To improve, check subject–verb agreement, include required verbs and articles, and revise longer sentences into clear, complete clauses.

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

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