Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-14

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 6.5)

Dear sir or Madam,

My name is John Matthew. Recently I have stared my new job role as a business analyst and most of the time I have to interact with another local business owners that involves some discussion regarding marketing stratagies. Therefore, I requested to join a part time course named Marketing at your college which is starting in next month.

I am writing this lettter to let you know that as this course requires to be present physically there and are during the afternoon timings, I won't be able to attend that course. I thought it would be managble to get my work tasks done and then I can attend the course, however timings of this course classes are conflicting with my office hours.

I am very dissapointed that I have to cancel my registration at this last moment and I hope you understand the situation and I would like to know about any other available courses that doesn't require to be physically present in a class and I can attend it after my office hourse.

Regards

John

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three required points: you identify the Marketing course, explain that its afternoon, in-person classes conflict with your office hours, and ask about alternatives that can be taken remotely after work. The reason for cancelling is clear and relevant, and the apology and request for understanding suit the situation. Your ideas are extended with context about your new business analyst role, although some of this background is more detailed than necessary, while the request for a different course could be more specific—for example, asking about online evening options or how to transfer your booking. Overall, the purpose and intended action remain clear throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter has a clear progression: you explain why you booked the course, state the scheduling problem, and then request an alternative. Paragraphing supports this sequence, and linking expressions such as “Therefore,” “however,” and “and” help connect the ideas. The relationship between your new job and the course is understandable, though the opening sentence carries several details at once and could be divided for easier reading. The final paragraph also combines your apology, cancellation, and alternative-course request in one long sentence. Separating these functions would make the organisation more controlled and the request easier to locate.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a formal cancellation letter, including “business analyst,” “marketing strategies,” “physically present,” and “conflicting with my office hours.” These choices communicate the situation clearly, and the tone is generally appropriate. However, spelling errors such as “stratagies,” “lettter,” “managble,” and “dissapointed” show inconsistent control, while phrases such as “course named Marketing” and “office hourse” are not natural or accurate. Aim for more precise collocations and proofread carefully: “the Marketing course” and “working hours” would sound more idiomatic. Your meaning remains clear despite these word-choice and spelling slips.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, using clauses with “as,” “that,” and “however” to explain the circumstances. The main message is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “I have stared my new job role” has an incorrect verb form, and “I have to interact with another local business owners” has an agreement and determiner problem. In “this course requires to be present physically there and are during the afternoon timings,” the structure is incomplete and the subject–verb relationship is unclear. The final sentence also joins several ideas without clear punctuation. Check verb forms, agreement, and sentence boundaries to make your complex sentences more accurate.

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.