Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-21

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,

I am writing to inform you about cancellation of booking which i made for part-time course last month.

I enrolled myself in a basic french course duration of 4 weeks. I got this course after long waiting time due to limited availability of this course. I want to enhance my french skills which can help me to get better job opportunities.

Unfortunately, i will not able to continue this course. I need to return to my home country due to a medical emergency. One of my family members has hospitalized. So, My family needs help and support and i have to stay for atleast 2 months. Thats why i need to cancel the booking.

I would appreciate it if you could help me to find part-time courses which can help me to develop practical skills. I would like to continue after this visit. Please book a slot for courses if anything is available. You can contact me by email if you have any courses available.

I look forward to hearing back from you.

Thank you for your help and understanding.

Yours Faithfully,

Simer

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

You address all three requirements clearly: you identify the basic French course, explain that a family medical emergency requires you to return home, and ask about taking a different course later. The reason for cancelling is relevant and understandable, and the request for help finding practical-skills courses gives the administrator a clear next step. The explanation of the alternative course is less developed, however: “if anything is available” does not specify what practical skills or course types interest you, and “Please book a slot” could be clearer about whether you want a reservation or information first. Adding a preferred subject, start date, or request for available options would make this already complete response more precise and fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter follows a clear, sensible progression: cancellation is introduced, the original course is described, the reason for withdrawing is explained, and a future course is requested. Paragraphing supports these stages, while phrases such as “Unfortunately” and “That’s why” help connect the explanation to the request. The overall organisation is easy to follow. Some links are a little mechanical or repetitive, particularly the repeated use of “course” and the sequence “So… That’s why.” The final request also moves quickly from asking for help to asking the college to book a slot, so the intended action is not entirely clear. Use more varied referencing and make the steps in your request explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the purpose and communicates the key information, with useful phrases such as “medical emergency,” “limited availability,” and “practical skills.” You also use relevant course-related language, including “enrolled” and “booking.” Some word choices and collocations are less natural, though: “cancellation of booking” would be more idiomatic as “cancellation of my booking,” and “got this course” is vague where “secured a place” would be clearer. “Develop practical skills” is understandable but broad, and “better job opportunities” could be expressed more precisely. These occasional inaccuracies do not prevent understanding, but more natural collocations and specific vocabulary would improve the letter’s fluency and precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple sentences and more complex forms, including the conditional request “I would appreciate it if you could help me” and the relative clause “which can help me to get better job opportunities.” The message remains understandable throughout. Some grammatical errors persist, however: “I will not able” needs “I will not be able,” and “One of my family members has hospitalized” needs a passive form such as “has been hospitalized.” There are also missing or incorrect articles and possessives in “cancellation of booking” and “a basic french course duration of 4 weeks.” Capitalisation and punctuation need attention in “i,” “My,” and “Thats.” Proofread for complete verb forms, articles, and sentence boundaries while retaining your varied sentence patterns.

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

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