Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-26

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 Mohamed, I have already purchased a part-time course about Indian gastronomy and I have just booked on 12th November 2026.

Due to sickness problems, to start the course should be imposible, I wish I could to take the course, however I going to Have a surgery in my lowback and I will have to take a rest around 6 months at home so, that would be really difficult for me study while I will be in therapy. I would like to know if it is posible to take a different course via internet and study at home. For example as a food a beberage manager or an executive chef. I really appreciate your patience and I really would your sooner answer as well. If I not could get another course please let me know for ask for any totally refund. Thank you so much.

Kind regards,

Luis Acuna

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three requirements: you identify the Indian gastronomy course, explain that surgery and recovery will prevent attendance, and ask about online alternatives such as food and beverage management or executive-chef training. You also request a refund if a transfer is not possible, which is relevant. The reason for cancelling is clear and supported with useful detail about the expected recovery period. To make the response more fully developed and precise, clarify whether the booking is for a course beginning on 12 November or whether that is the date you made the booking, and specify which alternative course you would prefer. The purpose and overall position remain clear throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The information follows a sensible order: booking details, the reason for cancellation, possible alternatives, and a refund request. This makes the letter understandable overall. However, most of the content is presented in one long paragraph, so the separate purposes of the letter are not visually clear. Some links also feel mechanical or unclear, particularly the sequence beginning “Due to sickness problems” and the repeated use of “so.” Divide the message into short paragraphs and use clearer transitions, such as “Unfortunately,” “In addition,” and “If a transfer is not possible.” This would make the progression easier to follow and improve the control of cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main points, including “part-time course,” “surgery,” “therapy,” and “refund,” and you attempt more specific course-related terms. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or informal, however, such as “sickness problems,” “lowback,” and “a food a beberage manager.” There are also spelling errors in “imposible” and “posible.” These do not prevent the reader from understanding your request, but they reduce precision and polish. Choose standard expressions such as “medical reasons,” “lower back,” and “food and beverage management,” and check spelling carefully. A more formal register would also suit a letter to a college administrator.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to combine ideas using clauses and connectors, for example when explaining that surgery will make studying difficult during recovery. However, several sentence structures and verb forms are inaccurate, and these sometimes make the message harder to read. Examples include “to start the course should be,” “I wish I could to take,” and “I going to Have a surgery.” The conditional request “If I not could get another course” also needs a clearer structure. Practise forming complete clauses with a subject and correctly conjugated verb, and use punctuation to break up long sentences. For example: “I will have surgery on my lower back and will need to rest at home for about six months.”

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

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