IELTS Letter, topic: Expressing dissatisfaction with a course at college

Hey, you're new here! I love new people, welcome.

You may want to subscribe to IELTS-Blog and get all the updates via email or via RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

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 college director requesting to change your course. You should include details about:
- what course are you doing now
- why you are not satisfied with that course
- what course would you like to change to

Dear Mr. Hodgkins,

I am currently enrolled in an Italian cooking class at St. James and am writing regarding some difficulties I have had doing this subject for the past two weeks. I would like to know if it is possible to change my course.

I believe that the last day allowed for students to make any changes was Wednesday 5th June but, in my situation, the circumstance is uncompromising. The fact is that, during the enrolment session, no one mentioned that I needed to be literate in Italian, which I’m not. Therefore, you will comprehend that for me, getting an understanding of what the teacher is saying is beyond comprehensible.

Thus, I am requesting that my current enrollment be transferred from the Italian course to the French cooking class. As unlike in Italian, I am fluent in French.

I apologise for any inconvenience this may cause to you and the staff and look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Sandrine Mo

The student’s response covers the task question very well, the sentences have good structure, the level of formality is adequate and the vocabulary is suitable for the purpose. Some expressions would sound better in different wording (see suggestions underlined in blue). Overall, this letter is a very good one, and seems worthy of Band 8.5.

Click here to see more IELTS letters of band 8

Related posts: IELTS Letter, topic: Booking a hotel room You and your family are planning to spend a weekend...IELTS Letter, topic: A complaint about a purchase made online You have recently ordered an item through the Internet, but...IELTS Sample Letters of Band 8 Here you can find IELTS Sample Letters of Band 8,...IELTS Writing – Model Answer for a letter (from a recent exam in Israel) The topic below was seen in a General Training IELTS...IELTS Report, topic: a pie chart of leisure activities You are advised to spend a maximum of 20 minutes...