Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-22

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 let you know that I want to change my prior booking of cooking course at your college.While i want to take this course by heart but something important has come up which requires my urgent attention.I hope you will consider my situation favourably.

Let me explain my situation.I have booked the course from 5th till 30th of November.However, my family needs my help in these days.An urgent buisness trip of my husband has come up, so there will be no one available to look after my children in these days.That's why, i have to stay home to look after them.

Would you kindly move my booking from this course to the next upcoming one? I really want to take this course as it is the best one in town.I hope you will understand my situation.

Thank you for consideration.

Yours faithfully,

Moneeza Khalil

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

You address all three requirements: you identify the cooking course, explain that your husband’s business trip leaves you without childcare, and ask to move your booking to a later course. The reason is relevant and clear, and the polite tone suits a letter to a college administrator. The request, “move my booking … to the next upcoming one,” communicates your aim, but it would be more complete if you asked which later course dates are available and whether the transfer can be arranged. The opening says you want to “change” the booking, while the task is specifically to cancel it; make that action explicit and distinguish cancellation from a possible new booking. Overall, the purpose is clear, though some details of the requested next step could be developed further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter follows a sensible progression: you state your purpose, explain the circumstances, then make a request and close politely. Paragraphing helps separate these stages, and links such as “However” and “That’s why” make the relationship between the family situation and your decision understandable. Some transitions are a little mechanical, particularly “Let me explain my situation,” and the repeated references to “these days” make the explanation less smooth. The opening also moves quickly from changing the booking to explaining your reason. To strengthen the flow, use a direct opening that states the cancellation, then connect the childcare problem to the request for a later course in a more continuous way.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the purpose and includes some appropriate formal expressions, such as “urgent attention,” “consider my situation favourably,” and “Would you kindly.” The reader can understand the course and the childcare problem. However, some choices are inaccurate or unnatural: “take this course by heart” does not mean that you are keen to attend, and “next upcoming one” is redundant. There are also spelling errors in “buisness” and inconsistent capitalisation of “I.” Aim for precise, natural collocations rather than adding formal-sounding phrases. For example, “I am keen to attend” and “the next available course” would express your meaning more clearly and appropriately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the clause “which requires my urgent attention” and the explanation beginning “so there will be no one available.” These structures help convey the reason for writing, and the message remains clear despite some errors. There are issues with sentence boundaries and punctuation: “college.While” needs a space, and “However” should be separated from the preceding sentence. Capitalisation is also inconsistent in “i,” and the phrase “I have booked the course from 5th till 30th of November” needs more natural grammatical framing, such as “from 5 to 30 November.” Review punctuation, capital letters, and date constructions to make your otherwise understandable sentences more accurate.

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

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