Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-10

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 5.0)

Dear Sir/Madam

To begin with i just finished my secondary education through KPT school in delhi so i was free nowaday by mistakely i choose wrong course to internet error through college website so i want appeal to change course

Course i took wrong is computer business but my actual interest in business management as my family running business since 19 centuries so as now i have learn about business through college and all my friends are in this field so my family and friends encourage to take business course through college while i making reservation through your website the internet not workinh good due lack of network i mistakely click on wrong course after i saw in receipt i took wrong course it would not let me change the course through websit i didnot see any options to change so kindly change my course to business mangement from business computers i really appricate to this help

your sincerly

sumeet kumar

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the course booked as “computer business” and explain that you intended to study business management, so the main situation is understandable. You also give a reason for the mistake—poor internet connection while using the college website—and ask the college to change the booking. However, the request is mainly to change the course rather than clearly cancel the existing booking and ask whether a different course can be booked. The explanation about your family’s business and friends is relevant but not clearly connected to the cancellation, and the reason for choosing a new course could be stated more directly. Address each bullet explicitly and make the requested action unmistakable to strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The letter contains the key information, and the reader can follow the broad sequence from explaining the mistake to requesting a change. However, most of the content is placed in two very long paragraphs, with several different ideas joined together. For example, the second paragraph moves from your interest and family background to the website problem and then to the request without clear breaks. This limits the overall progression and makes some relationships between ideas difficult to follow. Use separate paragraphs for the booking and reason, then the request, and connect sentences with clear, accurate transitions rather than relying on repeated “so” and “as”.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the general situation, including “course,” “receipt,” “reservation,” and “business management.” However, the range is limited, and several inaccurate or misspelled expressions make the letter less clear or less appropriate for a formal request. Phrases such as “internet error,” “change my course,” and “I really appricate to this help” do not express the intended meaning naturally. Spelling errors such as “mistakely,” “workinh,” and “mangement” are also noticeable. Learn useful formal collocations for this purpose, such as “cancel my enrolment,” “transfer to another course,” and “I would appreciate your assistance.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to combine ideas in longer sentences, but these structures are often difficult to control, and sentence boundaries are frequently unclear. For instance, “while i making reservation through your website the internet not workinh good due lack of network” lacks a clear subject–verb structure and appropriate clause connections. There are also problems with verb forms and articles, as in “i have learn about business” and “i took wrong course.” Capitalisation and punctuation are inconsistent, including the lowercase “i” and the missing comma after the greeting. Use shorter, complete sentences first, then add subordinate clauses carefully; check tense, articles, and punctuation before submitting.

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

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