Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-11

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 5.5)

Dear Adminstrator

I am writing this letter to ask for your sincere forgiveness and asking for your help in changing the part-time course in your institution.

To begin with, Am student of part-time hotel management course in your college, however, I changed my and want to request you to cancel my booking. Not only this, I seek your attention and assistance to enroll in software engineering course.

I want to change this couse as a reason of change of my interest frrom hotel business to computer engineering, Also, I got a job offer from a multinational company in the london and I am excited about this job offer, as a consequence, I am requesting you to transfer my credits and admission to this course, also, please send me fee structure for the same course to avoid the last minute delay and rush.

I express my sincere regret and ask for your forgiveness.

Thanks and regards,

Tarspreet

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover all three required points: you identify the hotel management course, request cancellation, explain your changed interests and new job offer, and ask about moving to software engineering and its fees. The purpose is clear and relevant throughout. However, some details are less fully addressed: the reason for cancelling is somewhat confusing because you mention both a change of interest and a job offer in London without explaining how the job affects your ability to take the booked course. The request to transfer credits and admission also goes beyond simply asking whether a different course can be booked, and could be framed more clearly as a question. A more direct, specific explanation and a clear enquiry about availability and enrolment would strengthen the letter.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a recognisable sequence: opening request, explanation, alternative course enquiry, and a closing apology. Paragraphing helps separate the main points, and connectors such as “To begin with,” “however,” and “as a consequence” show attempts to link ideas. At times, though, these links feel mechanical or do not express the relationship precisely. For example, “Not only this” does not clearly connect the cancellation to the request for another course, while the long sentence beginning “I want to change this couse” combines several reasons and requests, making the progression harder to follow. Use shorter sentences and organise the explanation and course enquiry into distinct paragraphs, with clear references to what “this course” means.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of formal expressions for a college letter, including “request,” “assistance,” “enroll,” “credits,” and “fee structure.” These choices make the purpose understandable, and the tone is generally polite. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnecessarily elaborate: “sincere forgiveness” and “ask for your forgiveness” are not natural ways to request a booking change, and “changing the part-time course” is less precise than cancelling one booking and enquiring about another. Spelling errors such as “Adminstrator,” “couse,” and “frrom” are noticeable, as is the inconsistent capitalisation of “london.” Check spelling carefully and favour direct, natural phrases such as “cancel my enrolment” and “ask about enrolling in another course.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast with “however” and a reason-and-result structure with “as a consequence.” The main message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. For example, “Am student” is missing a subject and article, and “I changed my” is incomplete; “I want to change this course as a reason of change of my interest” also has an awkward grammatical construction. The long sentence beginning “I want to change…” contains several clauses joined with commas, so punctuation and sentence boundaries need attention. Practise complete subject–verb sentences, accurate articles and verb forms, and divide sentences when moving from a reason to a separate request.

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