You are not happy with the course you are doing at college and would like to change to a different course. Write a letter to the Head of Department to change your course. In your letter explain: - what course you are doing now - why you are not satisfied with that course - what course you would like to change to
Sample Response
Dear Mr Cameron, I am a first-year student at your college and my major is arts. I am writing to seek your permission to change one of my courses. I am hoping that you would allow me to do so. My student identification number is 254102. During my admission back in January, I took the music course and it has been a month since then. So far I am not happy with my progress and I am confident that I would do better if I take the history curriculum, which I have always felt passionate about. I would not say that I feel negative about my music classes, but I believe I should go with the course I feel more attached to. When I got admitted to the college, no seat in the history department was available and the music was my second preference. Recently, I talked to the dean of the history department, and he notified me that with your permission, I would be able to intake the history subject. I would request you to permit me to intake a history course and drop the music class. I would be always grateful to you for granting me to switch my course. Yours sincerely, Caterina Holmes
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use natural structure Original: my major is arts Suggested revision: I am majoring in the arts Why it matters: “Major in” is the natural grammatical pattern for stating a field of study.
- 2. Use enrolment wording Original: During my admission back in January Suggested revision: When I enrolled in January Why it matters: “Enrolled” describes starting a course more naturally than “during my admission.”
- 3. Clarify course choice Original: took the music course Suggested revision: enrolled in the music course Why it matters: “Enrolled in” precisely describes formally joining the course.
- 4. Add introductory comma Original: So far I am Suggested revision: So far, I am Why it matters: A comma should follow the introductory phrase “So far.”
- 5. Match conditional tense Original: take Suggested revision: took Why it matters: The past form is needed after “if” to match the hypothetical “would do better.”
- 6. Use course noun Original: curriculum Suggested revision: course Why it matters: A student changes to a course, while “curriculum” refers to a broader programme of study.
- 7. Show continuing interest Original: felt Suggested revision: been Why it matters: The present perfect expresses an interest that began earlier and continues now.
- 8. Use direct wording Original: feel negative about Suggested revision: dislike Why it matters: “Dislike” expresses this idea more directly and naturally.
- 9. Use formal verb Original: go with the course Suggested revision: choose the course Why it matters: “Choose” is clearer and more suitable for a formal request than “go with.”
- 10. Express academic interest Original: feel more attached to Suggested revision: am more interested in Why it matters: “Interested in” is the natural collocation for describing preference for a subject.
- 11. Use formal passive Original: got Suggested revision: was Why it matters: The passive form is more natural and appropriately formal in this context.
- 12. Use natural plural Original: no seat in the history department was available Suggested revision: there were no places available in the history department Why it matters: “Places” is the natural plural noun for course availability.
Suggested Rewrites
- my major is arts I am majoring in the arts
- During my admission back in January When I enrolled in January
- took the music course enrolled in the music course
- So far I am So far, I am
- take took
- curriculum course
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter has a clear formal purpose and covers the current course, the desired change, and the circumstances behind the request in a courteous, logically sequenced way. Its main weakness is imprecise and sometimes repetitive wording around the reason for dissatisfaction, alongside several unnatural course-related collocations. Develop the academic reason more specifically and use idiomatic verbs such as enrol in, take, and switch to.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The request is clear, all bullet points are addressed, and the formal tone is appropriate, but the dissatisfaction with music is explained only in general terms.
Give one specific difficulty with the music course or explain more concretely why history better suits your goals.
Coherence and Cohesion
The information follows a clear sequence from the current course through the reasons to the requested change, with effective basic linking.
Divide the letter into purposeful paragraphs so the background, justification, and final request are visually and logically distinct.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is adequate and sometimes precise, but repeated misuse of "intake" and other course-related collocations reduces naturalness.
Use idiomatic combinations such as "take a history course," "enrol in history," and "switch from music to history."
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentences successfully, although several verb patterns and word-order choices are inaccurate.
Correct constructions such as "if I took," "I would always be grateful," and "for allowing me to switch courses."
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You are not happy with the course you are doing at college and would like to change to a different course. Write a letter to the Head of Department to change your course. In your letter explain:
- what course you are doing now
- why you are not satisfied with that course
- what course you would like to change to
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.