Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-09

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 6.0)

Dear Lisa,

I hope you are doing well. I would like to inform you that my study is starting in the first week of January. My subjects are challenging because these include mathematics and business administration topics in my first semester. These subjects are time consuming. That is why, I want to reduce my working hours from five shifts to three shits. In this way, I can focus productively on my study as well as work.

My classes schedule is assigned and my classes would be on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from January 06 to April 22. I want to keep one day off to complete my assignments and household responsibilities such as laundary, cooking and cleaning. I am flexible for rest days. I can work either the mornings or the evenings.

I worked with you for several years as a supervisor, my studies in business administration will help to teach me some advanced business skills such as marketing. Therefore, I may seek promotion as a manager in future. This study may help us to increase the sales, which may benefit company's finances because I will learn different tacties to increase the growth of bussinesses.

I hope you will understand my condition and allow me to minimise my working hours.

Thank you.

Kul

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three requested points: you explain that your business-administration studies are demanding, request a reduction from five shifts to three, and describe possible benefits such as learning marketing skills and helping increase sales. The request is clear and relevant throughout. The explanation of the proposed schedule is useful, but it could be more precise: you mention classes on Tuesday to Thursday and say you are flexible about rest days, without specifying which three working days or hours you are requesting. The employer benefit is also somewhat speculative; explain more directly how particular skills could improve your current work. These details would make the ideas more fully developed and the request easier for Lisa to consider.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: it introduces the request, explains the study timetable, and then discusses benefits to the employer before closing politely. Paragraphing helps the reader follow these stages, and links such as “That is why” and “Therefore” show relationships between ideas. Some connections are less smooth or precise, however. For example, the shift reduction is followed by “In this way,” but the link between working fewer shifts and being productive at both study and work could be explained more clearly. The schedule paragraph also combines class days, a day off, household duties, and flexibility, making the requested working pattern harder to identify. A more explicit sequence and clearer references would strengthen progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary for the topic, including “business administration,” “assignments,” “promotion,” “marketing,” and “increase the sales.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and some topic-specific language helps explain how your studies could benefit the company. However, several word-choice, collocation, and spelling problems reduce precision: “my study,” “classes schedule,” “rest days,” and “different tacties” are not natural or accurate in context; “shits,” “laundary,” and “bussinesses” are misspelled. Some phrasing is also vague, such as “my condition” and “increase the growth of businesses.” Aim for accurate, natural combinations and proofread spelling so your otherwise relevant vocabulary is clearer and more professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including explanations with “because” and “which,” and most of the message remains understandable. Some grammatical errors are present, but they rarely prevent the reader from following your request. For example, “My subjects are challenging because these include…” has an unclear pronoun reference, while “My classes schedule is assigned” has an awkward possessive structure. The sentence “I worked with you for several years as a supervisor, my studies…” joins two independent clauses with only a comma; use a full stop or a conjunction. There are also tense and article issues in “my classes would be” and “benefit company's finances.” Review sentence boundaries and possessive forms, while continuing to use varied structures.

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