Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-11-01
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 6.5)
Dear Sir,
I am writing this letter to inform you that I cannot continue my evening course in which I am enrolled. This is because nowadays, I am too busy in my office work. So I would prefer to continue my classes in the next term.
Actually, my manager has given me extra work regarding new project in our company. Therefore, I could not get time to complete my assignments and attend classes in the evening. Apart from this, I find it hard to focus on my studies due to the stress of office work. Eventually, I decided to discontinue the course.
This course is very important for me. Because it will help me to enhance my knowledge about how to make business successful and I will get administrative skills which will be advantageous for me at my work. That is why, I would like to start this course in the upcoming term.
I would like to request you to defer my registration and fees for the next term. I would appreciate it if you could and let me know is there any additional charges or documents required for this adjustment.
I am hoping to get positive response from you. Thank you for understanding my situation.
Yours faithfully,
Lakhvir Kaur.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
The letter addresses all three points: you explain that extra project work and stress prevent you from attending, state that you want to resume next term, and ask about deferring your registration and fees. The purpose is clear and the tone is appropriately formal. The explanation of your studies is also relevant, particularly your point that the course will develop business knowledge and administrative skills. However, the request for advice is less fully developed: you ask about charges and documents, but could also ask whether deferral is permitted and what steps or deadlines apply. Some details, such as the benefits of the course, are stated rather generally. More specific questions and fuller development of the practical request would make the response more complete.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0
The letter is organised in a clear sequence: you introduce the problem, explain its causes, describe the course’s value, and make a request. Paragraphing supports this progression, and linking expressions such as “Therefore,” “Apart from this,” and “That is why” help connect ideas. The reader can follow the message without difficulty. To make the cohesion more flexible and polished, avoid relying on explicit connectors at the start of several sentences and ensure each transition expresses the relationship precisely. For example, “Eventually, I decided to discontinue the course” sounds like a final decision, while the next paragraph says you want to take it next term; a transition that signals a temporary pause would make the progression clearer.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a formal request, including “defer my registration,” “additional charges,” and “administrative skills.” These choices communicate the main points, and the vocabulary is varied enough to explain both the difficulty and your future plans. Some collocations and expressions are less natural or precise, however: “busy in my office work,” “regarding new project,” and “positive response” could be expressed more idiomatically. “Discontinue” may also suggest ending your studies permanently, which conflicts with your intention to return next term. Choosing more precise phrases for workload and temporary postponement would improve naturalness and reduce ambiguity.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5
The letter includes a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as the explanation beginning “Because it will help me…” and the conditional request “I would appreciate it if…”. Most meaning remains clear, but some grammatical errors and punctuation problems persist. “Because it will help me…” is a sentence fragment; connect it to the preceding sentence. In “I would appreciate it if you could and let me know is there any additional charges,” the conditional structure is incomplete and the embedded question has incorrect word order and agreement. You could write: “I would appreciate it if you could let me know whether there are any additional charges or documents required.” Review sentence boundaries and indirect-question structure to improve accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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