Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-11-12

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You have enrolled in an evening course but you have found that you are too busy to continue and would like to take the course next term instead.

• explain the situation and why you cannot continue the course

• say what you would like to do about your studies

• ask for advice about what you can do about the situation

Student answer (Band 4.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

Hope you are well. I am writing this letter to inform you that my schedule is piling up and busy to continue the evening class, and I would like to take the subject next semester instead.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

You identify the central situation: your schedule is becoming too busy to continue the evening class, and you would like to take the subject next semester. However, the response does not explain what has made you busy, and it does not ask for advice about your options, so two important parts of the task are missing. The letter is also far below the required 150 words, leaving little room to develop the request or explain your circumstances. To address the task more fully, describe the work or personal commitments involved, state clearly that you hope to defer your studies, and ask whether this is possible and what steps you should take.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The letter has a recognisable opening and moves directly to its main purpose, so the reader can understand the basic request. However, it consists of only a greeting and one sentence, with no progression through the three points in the prompt and no closing. The ideas are therefore not developed or connected into a complete letter. Use separate paragraphs for your explanation, your preferred study arrangement, and your request for advice. Linking phrases such as “As a result” and “Could you please advise me” would help show how the circumstances lead to your request and make the organisation clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use a few relevant expressions, including “evening class,” “schedule,” and “next semester,” which communicate the general topic. However, the vocabulary range is very limited because the response is so brief, and some phrasing is not natural: “my schedule is piling up and busy” does not clearly express that your commitments have increased. Choose more precise collocations, such as “my workload has increased” or “I have become too busy to attend.” You could also use language suited to a formal request, for example “defer my enrolment” and “seek your advice.” These choices would make your meaning clearer and the tone more appropriate for writing to a course administrator.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response uses a basic sentence structure, and the main message is generally understandable. However, there is little variety in sentence forms, and the opening “Hope you are well” omits the subject “I,” which is less suitable in a formal letter. In “I am writing this letter to inform you that my schedule is piling up and busy to continue,” the construction after “that” is not grammatically well formed: the schedule cannot itself be “busy to continue.” A clearer version would be, “I am writing to explain that my commitments have increased, so I can no longer continue attending the evening class.” Add accurate sentences to explain your circumstances and ask for advice, using a mix of simple and complex structures.

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

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