Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-07

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 5.5)

Dear Sir,

I am writing to express my concern regarding working less hours at work and focus more on studies.

I recently took the admission in studing part time french languange in french school this is vital for my permanent residency as in canada getting pr is tough nowadays.

Furthermore, I would like to work only 24 hours a week because i am internation student we are only allow to work some hours if we are in school. Most of my classes are in evening I can work Monady to friday from 10 am to 4 pm and I would like to get weekend off to get some realxation.

I would also like to mention that studying french would be also aid for your organization particularits customer faceing job, Most of the time we get multi cultural people as french community in our area is a lot so if i learn french i can easily communicate and assist customers.

I hope my decison you would aprreciate.Thank you for your time and consideration.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours Faithfully,

Jasmeen Kaur

I loook

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three requested points: you explain that French study supports your permanent-residency plans, request a 24-hour week and specify weekday hours, and describe how French could help you assist customers. The employer benefit is relevant and gives the letter a clear purpose. However, some details are not fully clear or developed. For example, “Most of my classes are in evening” does not explain how the proposed 10 a.m.–4 p.m. schedule fits around them, and the residency reason could be expressed more clearly. The request is understandable, but a more direct, courteous statement of the change you are seeking, with a brief explanation of its practical arrangement, would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: it opens with the purpose, explains your study plans, sets out the proposed schedule, gives the employer benefit, and closes politely. Paragraphing helps the reader follow these stages, and linking expressions such as “Furthermore” and “I would also like to mention” signal the progression. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent organisation and shows some flexibility in connecting ideas. At times, however, the links feel mechanical, and the long middle paragraphs combine several points without clear separation. The final sentence, “I hope my decision you would appreciate,” is also difficult to follow. Use shorter, focused paragraphs and clearer references between the study, schedule, and workplace benefits.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use vocabulary relevant to the situation, including “permanent residency,” “part-time,” “communicate,” and “assist customers,” so your main message can be understood. However, the range is limited and several noticeable spelling and word-choice errors make parts of the letter harder to read, such as “studing,” “languange,” “internation student,” and “customer faceing.” Some combinations are also unnatural, including “took the admission” and “get weekend off.” These issues fit a level where vocabulary is minimally adequate but errors can cause difficulty. Check spelling carefully and learn common workplace collocations. More precise phrases such as “enrolled in a part-time French course” and “have weekends off” would make the letter sound more natural and professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the reader can generally understand your request and reasons. However, grammatical control is uneven, with errors in articles, agreement, verb forms, and sentence construction. For example, “I recently took the admission in studing…” needs a more accurate structure, while “we are only allow to work” should use a passive form such as “we are only allowed to work.” The sentence beginning “Most of my classes are in evening” also lacks the article needed before “evening.” Several clauses run together, particularly in the study and customer-service paragraphs, and punctuation around the closing is inconsistent. Practise accurate sentence patterns and separate related ideas into complete sentences.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.