Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-12

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 writing to request a reduction in my working hours so that i can persue part-time studies.

I have been a part of your company since 2018 as a sales manager, and i was promoted to business Strategist last year. I am very grateful for this opportunity. However,my current routine, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., is quite hectic and stressful and leaves me with no time to focus on my studies.

I would request you to please reduce my working hours to 4 p.m. i.e 9am to 4pm.I am happy to do extra work on weekends if required.

This part-time study will not only improves my skills but will also benefit the company.It gives a chance to learn advance analytical business management strategies that i can apply to my office work.

I would be very grateful if you could consider my request.

thank you.

employe Hina.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The letter addresses all three required points and maintains a polite, clear request. You explain that your 9 a.m.–6 p.m. routine leaves no time to study, specify a proposed 9 a.m.–4 p.m. schedule, and connect your studies to improved skills and analytical business-management strategies. The promotion history and offer to work weekends add relevant context. However, the employer benefit is only briefly stated: explain more specifically how the new knowledge could improve sales strategy, decision-making, or team performance. The requested hours could also be phrased more directly and unambiguously. The response covers the task well overall, but some supporting ideas are less developed than others.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The information follows a sensible order: the purpose of the letter, your work background and reason for the request, the proposed schedule, and the potential benefit to the company. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these points, and transitions such as “However” and “not only…but also” support the progression. The closing is also appropriate in intent. Some connections and formatting are less controlled, though: the schedule sentence runs together (“4 p.m. i.e 9am to 4pm”), and the final “thank you” and signature feel detached from the preceding closing. Use consistent punctuation and a conventional sign-off, and make the relationship between your studies and the employer’s benefit more explicit. Overall, the arrangement is coherent, with some cohesion and presentation issues.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of workplace and study-related vocabulary, including “promoted,” “business Strategist,” “hectic and stressful,” and “analytical business management strategies.” These choices make the purpose and context clear, and the tone is generally suitable for a formal request. Some word forms, spelling, and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “persue,” “advance analytical,” and “do extra work on weekends.” Capitalisation is also inconsistent in “business Strategist.” These slips do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision and naturalness. Aim for more idiomatic phrasing and check spelling and word forms carefully; for example, describe the strategies as “advanced” and specify that you can “work additional hours” at weekends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The letter includes both simple sentences and more developed structures, such as “I am writing to request…” and “This part-time study will not only improves my skills but will also benefit the company.” The latter shows an attempt at a balanced construction, although the verb after “will” should be in its base form (“improve”). Other errors include “I would request you to please reduce…” and the unclear construction “reduce my working hours to 4 p.m. i.e 9am to 4pm.” There are also punctuation and sentence-boundary problems, particularly where sentences run together. Meaning remains clear overall, but more consistent control of verb forms, sentence boundaries, and punctuation would make the request more polished.

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