Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-04

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 5.0)

Dear Sir,

My name is aman and i took part course PSW in red river college. I writting to request you that i want to cancel my booking because of my personal isues.

Last month , i booked part course as " personal support worker " to find good career option in future. This course is going to start on 25 november 2026. Recently my plan got changed as i have to moved my home country because of my family issue. Their is huge difference in timing of india and canada, i got trouble to attend classes. In addition , my fater is going to open clothing store in next month, so they need my help . so i dont have enough time to focus on this course.

I really appologise for this inconvience.If its possible could you give me the refund of this course.

Thank you

Best Regards

Aman

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the course as Personal Support Worker at Red River College and give relevant reasons for cancelling, including moving to India, the time difference, and helping with your father’s clothing store. However, the main purpose is not fully handled: you ask for a refund rather than clearly asking whether you can book a different course, so one required point is missing. The reasons are also presented with limited explanation, and the cancellation request could be stated more directly and formally. To strengthen the letter, explicitly ask which alternative part-time courses are available and whether your booking can be transferred, while keeping the explanation focused and clear.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a recognisable structure: an opening request, a paragraph explaining the circumstances, and a brief closing. The sequence from the course booking to the changed plans is generally understandable, and phrases such as “Recently” and “In addition” help connect details. However, the long middle paragraph combines several points without clear separation, and the repeated “so” makes the progression feel mechanical. The final request for a refund also shifts the focus rather than following through on the task’s request about another course. Use separate paragraphs for the cancellation reasons and the alternative-course enquiry, and choose linking phrases that show the relationship between ideas more precisely.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the situation, including “part-time course,” “career option,” “family issue,” and “attend classes.” However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable, as in “isues,” “appologise,” and “inconvience,” and some phrases are unnatural or unclear, such as “my personal isues” and “I got trouble to attend classes.” “Part course” is also not the natural expression for this context. These choices sometimes make the letter less fluent, although the main meaning remains understandable. Build accuracy with common formal-letter collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, use “personal circumstances” and “I am having difficulty attending classes.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and longer sentences, including a reason clause beginning “because” and a sentence introduced by “In addition.” However, errors are frequent and sometimes make the relationships between ideas harder to follow. Examples include “i have to moved,” “Their is huge difference,” and “they need my help,” where verb forms, agreement, and pronoun reference are not controlled. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, particularly in “Last month ,” and “so i dont.” Practise accurate past and present forms, subject–verb agreement, and sentence boundaries. For instance, write “I have to move back to my home country” and “There is a significant time difference between India and Canada.”

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

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