Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-16

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,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing to inform you that I want to cancel my booking for a part-time course, which I recently booked.

I booked a typing course last week which I want to cancel now. I had booked this course because I wanted to polish my typing skills for my part-time job. Now, I want to switch my job due to personal reasons. I hope you will understand my situation. In addition, I have also discussed this issue with my computer teacher, and she allowed me to switch my course booking.

I want to book an art course, as my parents are insisting that I should learn about basic arts. Therefore, I visited the art class two days back, and I have also met Sir Michael regarding this change. He is willing to accept my request to join his class. I am hoping that you will accept my request and allow me to make this change.

I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Best regards,

Zubair.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three requirements: you identify the typing course, explain that a job change means you no longer need it, and ask to switch to an art course. The purpose is clear throughout, and details such as having spoken with your computer teacher and meeting Sir Michael help support the request. The reason for cancelling is understandable, although “personal reasons” is quite general, and the connection between changing jobs and wanting an art course could be explained more fully. The request also focuses on permission to change rather than asking about the college’s booking procedure or availability. Developing these points with a little more specific information would make the letter more fully supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall structure: the opening states its purpose, the middle paragraphs explain the cancellation and proposed replacement, and the closing politely requests a response. Paragraphing is appropriate, and linking expressions such as “In addition” and “Therefore” help show relationships between ideas. However, some connections are repetitive or not fully logical. For example, the sentence about your teacher allowing a change follows the job explanation but does not clearly show why that teacher’s approval is relevant to the college. The repeated statements that you want to cancel or hope the request will be accepted could also be streamlined. More precise links between the reason, the new course, and the action requested would make progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a formal request, including “cancel my booking,” “switch my job,” and “accept my request,” and the meaning remains clear. There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “polish my typing skills.” However, some choices are imprecise or less natural in this context: “switch my job” would usually be “change jobs,” while “basic arts” is unclear and could be “basic art skills.” “Two days back” is also less idiomatic than “two days ago.” Repetition of “course,” “booking,” and “request” limits flexibility. Choosing more natural collocations and varying repeated terms would improve precision and formality.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The letter includes a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, and several sentences are controlled, such as “I am writing to inform you that I want to cancel my booking” and “I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.” The use of past perfect in “I had booked this course” and subordinate clauses shows some range. Some sentence structures are less well controlled, however. In “I booked a typing course last week which I want to cancel now,” the relative clause is awkwardly attached; separating the ideas would be clearer. The shift from “I want” to “I am hoping” is understandable but could be made more consistent. Overall, errors do not obstruct the message, but more consistently accurate complex sentences would strengthen control.

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

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