Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am an employee of your pharma company from micro lab with employee code 465. I am writing to request you to reduce my working hours by 1 or 2 hours, because I am persuing master's in microbiology specificly in microbial testing. Owing to which, I need to concentrate more on my studies at a strech, which I have been unabled to do with 8 hours work, I am exhausted after commuting home from office.

However, I appreciate you if you do a favour for me by providing felxible hours of working from 10 am to 6 pm, this not only gives me more time to study in the early morning in the peaceful enviornment, but also helps me to realx and work efficently in the office without worrying about the study.

In addition, my academics will also benefit to the firm, as I will have a master's degree in microbiology, which equips me with the deep understanding of microorganisms and holistic approach of testing. I will apply my knowledge and hands-on experiene in testing samples of drugs and cosmetic with authentic results. Following this, coustomer belives and trust our company product which resulted in increase in the sale of our pharmaceutical company.

I would therefore thankful to you, if you chnage or reduce my job timing. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Anjani

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three points clearly: you explain that your microbiology studies require more time, request a 10 a.m.–6 p.m. schedule, and describe how your knowledge could improve testing and product reliability. The examples about testing drug and cosmetic samples help support the benefit to the employer, and the request remains clear throughout. To make the case even more fully developed, explain more precisely how the proposed hours reduce your working time or fit the employer’s operational needs; 10 a.m.–6 p.m. is still an eight-hour span, so the change is not entirely clear. The benefit claims about customer trust and increased sales could also be linked more directly to your specific role and expertise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter has a clear progression: you introduce the request, explain the preferred schedule, outline the employer’s benefit, and close politely. Paragraphing supports this sequence, and connectors such as “However,” “In addition,” and “I would therefore” help signal relationships between ideas. The overall organisation is easy to follow. Some links are less smooth, however: “Owing to which” creates an awkward connection to the previous sentence, and “Following this” does not clearly show how accurate testing leads to increased sales. The second paragraph also combines the schedule request with its personal benefits in a long sentence. Use more precise linking and divide complex ideas where needed to make the progression more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a relevant range of workplace and academic vocabulary, including “microbial testing,” “hands-on experience,” “microorganisms,” and “holistic approach.” These choices help explain both your studies and their potential value to the company. There are also several spelling and word-choice errors, such as “persuing,” “felxible,” “enviornment,” and “coustomer belives,” which reduce the accuracy and professional impression of the letter. Some phrases are also unnatural or imprecise, including “at a strech,” “I appreciate you if,” and “authentic results.” Aim for accurate spelling and more natural collocations, especially in the request and in describing the reliability of your testing work.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including clauses explaining the reason for your request and the benefits of your studies. The meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity and control. For example, “Owing to which” is not a complete, well-connected clause, and “I would therefore thankful to you” is missing the verb “be.” The sentence beginning “I will apply my knowledge” also shifts into “which resulted” when describing the consequence, creating an inconsistent tense pattern. In addition, the long sentence about your schedule and study time would be clearer if divided. Check clause structure, verb forms, and sentence boundaries carefully while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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