Cancelling a Part-Time College Course Booking

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,

Annotated response

5 correction notes

I am writing to cancel my enrollment in the part-time course “Introduction to Photography” scheduled to begin on May 15th, 2024. Unfortunately, due to a recent family emergency, I will be out of town for an extended period and unable to attend the course as initially planned.

While I regret having to , I kindly request information on any similar courses offered at a later date, as I remain keen on furthering my education in photography. The opportunity to develop my skills in this field is of great importance to me, and I would appreciate the chance to explore alternative course options that better suit my current circumstances.

I am grateful for your understanding and assistance in this matter. Your institution’s commitment to providing quality educational experiences is commendable, and I look forward to the possibility of enrolling in a future course that aligns with my interests and availability.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Akshay Kapoor

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.5

The letter is fluent, well-organized, and covers all three required points with a consistently polite, appropriate register. Its main limitation is that the details are somewhat padded and generic, with the third bullet addressed only briefly rather than developed with a concrete request.

IELTS criteria

How each score was decided

Task Achievement

7.0

The letter clearly cancels the named photography course, explains a plausible reason, and asks about alternative options, covering all bullets in a suitable formal tone, though the request about a different course is answered only in general terms rather than with a specific new course.

Coherence and Cohesion

7.5

Ideas progress logically through opening, explanation, and request with well-managed cohesive devices and clear paragraphing, with only slight over-reliance on formulaic politeness.

Lexical Resource

7.5

Vocabulary is flexible and natural, with phrases like 'furthering my education' and 'aligns with my interests and availability', though some wording is conventional rather than precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

7.5

A wide range of sentence structures is used accurately, including complex forms such as 'due to a recent family emergency' and 'the possibility of enrolling', with no impeding errors.

More responses with feedback

View all 5 responses (7.5–8.0)