Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You would like to reduce your working hours in order to study part time.

Write a letter to your boss. In your letter

• explain why you want to reduce your working hours
• say which hours you would like to work
• describe how your part-time studies would benefit your employer

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ....................................,

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Sir,

I am writting to kindly request for a reduction in my working hours. Currently am pursuing a masters in Health Economics at the University of Nairobi. The classes have been scheduled from Monday to Thursday starting from 1800 hours to 2000 hours. It is is difficult for me to arrive on time for classes as I leave the working station at 1700 hours. If I could be allowed to leave at 1600 hours during class days, I would greately appreciate. I plan to compensate the lost hour by arriving at my duty station an hour earlier than the stipulated arrival time.

Being a pharmacist in the dynamic healthcare market, a Masters in Health Economics would come in handy while allocating funds for various health products. In addition, it will greately assist the organisation in development of economically sound treatment plans for various patients. To sum it up, the course is vital for efficient allocation of funds for maximum return on investments.

Looking forward for a positive feedback.

Yours sincerely,

Joshua Meme.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three requested points and maintains a clear, appropriate purpose. You explain that your master’s classes run from Monday to Thursday in the evening, request an earlier finish, and describe how health-economics knowledge could support funding decisions and treatment planning. The proposed adjustment is also practical: you offer to start an hour earlier to make up the time. These details extend the request rather than leaving it unsupported. The benefit to the employer is relevant, although it is expressed somewhat generally; a specific example of how you could apply the training in your pharmacist role would make this point more persuasive. Overall, the reader can readily understand what change you want and why.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information follows a clear progression: you make the request and explain the scheduling conflict, then outline the employer’s potential benefits, before closing politely. The paragraph break helps distinguish the personal reason from the workplace benefits, and linking phrases such as “In addition” and “To sum it up” guide the reader through the second paragraph. The sequence of the proposed hours is understandable, though the request could be made even easier to follow by stating the exact working schedule directly—for example, the new finishing time and earlier start time together. The final sentence, “Looking forward for a positive feedback,” is a slightly abrupt transition to the sign-off. A more conventional closing sentence would make the letter’s progression feel more complete.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of workplace and academic vocabulary, including “reduction in my working hours,” “Health Economics,” “allocating funds,” and “treatment plans.” These choices communicate the purpose and professional benefits clearly, and phrases such as “dynamic healthcare market” show an attempt to use less common language. Some collocations and word forms are less natural, however: “request for a reduction” is better expressed as “request a reduction,” while “positive feedback” does not quite fit a request for approval. There are also spelling errors in “writting” and “greately.” These do not prevent understanding, but more accurate spelling and more natural phrasing would strengthen the overall control and flexibility of your vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The letter includes both straightforward statements and more developed structures, such as “If I could be allowed to leave at 1600 hours during class days, I would…” and “I plan to compensate the lost hour by arriving…”. These forms help explain a conditional request and a practical solution. Some grammatical errors remain, including the missing subject in “Currently am pursuing” and the duplicated verb in “It is is difficult.” The phrase “I would greatly appreciate” also needs an object, such as “I would greatly appreciate it.” In “assist the organisation in development,” an article is needed before “development.” These errors rarely obscure your meaning, but proofreading and checking sentence completeness would improve accuracy.

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