Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-20

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 Sir or Madam

Actually i am writting this letter for canceling my part-time course booking because of lack of interest,

I book OPMT course which is going to teach by mrs lauren in class room A12. This course is related to car mechanism it teach us about how vehicles are made, this course have information related to every car mechanis and repairment.

As i want to become car mechanic but this course have very much fee as compare to other courses and i am not financially good to support my studies. So now i make the decision to drop this course.

In our college their are very different kind of courses available and i search on all courses. Their is one course which teach about material handling as i work in warehouse it is very good opportunity for me to learn. The course name MTGT. Can you please grant me seat in this course.

Kind regard

Rahul sharma

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three required points: you identify the OPMT course, explain that its fee is unaffordable, and ask for a place on the MTGT course. The reason for cancelling is relevant and understandable, although the opening says “lack of interest,” which conflicts with your later explanation that cost is the problem. The alternative course request is clear, but it would be more complete if you asked whether a transfer is possible and gave a preferred start date or other details. The course descriptions provide useful context, though some information is not necessary to the request. Make the reason consistent and develop the practical details of the change to make the letter more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a recognisable structure: the opening states its purpose, the middle paragraphs explain the booked course and cancellation, and the final paragraph requests a different course. This makes the main message possible to follow. However, progression is weakened by the contradiction between “lack of interest” and the later financial explanation. Some links are also repetitive or awkward, such as “In our college” followed by “and i search on all courses,” and the course details could be grouped more efficiently. Use clearer transitions to show the sequence—booking, reason for cancelling, then the alternative—and keep each paragraph focused on one stage of the request. A conventional closing would also make the letter feel more complete.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough task-related vocabulary to communicate the subject, including “part-time course,” “car mechanic,” “warehouse,” and “material handling.” The course names and work context make the request specific. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the reader pause: “lack of interest” does not match the financial reason, “very much fee” is unnatural, and “grant me seat” is not the usual way to request a course place. Spelling and word-form errors such as “writting,” “mechanis,” and “repairment” also reduce control. Aim for precise, natural phrases suited to a formal college letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, for example, “As i want to become car mechanic but this course have very much fee…” This shows an effort to explain a reason, but the structure is faulty and several sentences contain errors in verb form, agreement, articles, and punctuation. Examples include “I book OPMT course,” “it teach us,” and “their are very different kind of courses.” These errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main request, but they make the letter less controlled. Practise accurate past-tense forms for the booking, subject–verb agreement, and sentence boundaries; then build longer sentences around one clear main clause.

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.