Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-19

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 or Madam,

I am Nishan. I am writing this letter to cancel a part-time course which, I recently booked at your college.

I enrolled for a IELTS Academic course because, I wanted to study abroad. Unfortunately, one unfore-seen event took place at my home so, I need to change my plan to study abroad.

I am aware that you can not refund my money so, can you please transfer me into other program, such as comunication skill or personality development. By studying one of this corse I can develop my personality.

I hope you will consider my request and do your best to help me out.

Yours faithfully,

Nishan

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You cover the main purpose and all three requested points: you identify the IELTS Academic course, give a reason for cancelling, and ask to transfer to another programme. However, the explanation that an unforeseen event at home changed your plans is brief, and the request for a different course would be clearer if you asked whether either option is available and how the transfer would work. The statement about not receiving a refund is not explained, so the administrator may not know whether you are asking for a transfer instead of a refund. The response is also 39 words below the required minimum, which limits how fully you can develop these details. Add a little context and a clear, polite request.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: you introduce your purpose, explain the change in circumstances, make a transfer request, and close politely. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these stages, and the reader can follow the main message. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent organisation and shows some effective progression. To make the flow more natural and controlled, reduce the repeated linking of clauses with “so” and connect the ideas more precisely. For example, the refund sentence could be separated from the request to transfer, then followed by a direct question about the alternative courses. The final paragraph is appropriate, though a fuller closing request would make the progression feel more complete.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for communicating the situation, with relevant expressions such as “cancel,” “enrolled,” “unforeseen event,” and “transfer me into other program.” You also attempt more specific course-related language. However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce accuracy, including “unfore-seen,” “comunication,” and “corse.” Some phrasing is not natural for a formal letter: “personality development” and “develop my personality” are repetitive, while “transfer me into” is an awkward collocation. Choose standard spellings and more precise course names, and use conventional wording such as “transfer my enrolment to another programme.” This would make the message more polished without requiring unusually advanced vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the reason clause “because I wanted to study abroad” and the conditional request “can you please transfer me.” The main message remains understandable, and errors rarely prevent communication. Some grammatical and punctuation problems remain, however. The article is incorrect in “a IELTS Academic course”; use “an IELTS Academic course.” Commas are misplaced after “which,” “because,” and “so,” and “one of this course” needs a plural form or a different construction. “I am Nishan” is grammatically possible but less suitable than a conventional introduction such as “My name is Nishan.” Aim for cleaner punctuation and accurate articles and agreement.

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

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