Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-13

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 boss,

I am an employee at your company who is working full time. I had completed my studies already, however, I wanted to learn about some new skills and so I have joined a small course for six months.

I have to study for this course daily to gain knowledge and thereforeI need some time to do so. In order to do this, I shall reduce my working hours to get spare time to study.

So, I request you to kindly reduce my working hours so that I will be able to study better. And I want to study at night, so I will be working in morning shift and I shall be going home till 4 pm everyday. Studying this course will help me to develop better knowledge better practical skills which will ultimately help me to contribute efficiently at company.

Kindly accept my application and do the needful for me as it will really help me grow professionally.

Thank you.

Sandra

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three requested points: you explain that you have enrolled in a six-month course, request reduced hours, propose a morning shift with work ending by 4 p.m., and connect your studies to improved practical skills at the company. The purpose of the letter is clear and the employer benefit is relevant. However, some points are less fully developed: the reason for choosing these particular hours is only briefly implied by your wish to study at night, and the benefit to the employer is stated generally rather than illustrated with a specific example. To strengthen the letter, explain how the course relates to your role and how the new skills could improve your work or support the team. A more specific request would also make your proposal clearer.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a recognisable progression from explaining your course, to requesting a schedule change, to describing a possible benefit for the company. Paragraph breaks help separate these stages, and linking expressions such as “therefore” and “so that” make some relationships clear. At times, however, the connections feel mechanical or repetitive: “So” introduces another request after “In order to do this,” and the final paragraph repeats the appeal without adding new information. The schedule details are also packed into one long sentence, which makes the request less easy to follow. Group the reason and request more cleanly, then give the proposed hours and employer benefit in separate, focused sentences. This would make the progression smoother and cohesion less dependent on repeated connectors.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main purpose, with relevant expressions such as “reduce my working hours,” “part-time studies,” and “practical skills.” You also attempt a suitably formal register through phrases such as “I request you” and “Kindly accept my application.” However, several choices are awkward or repetitive, including “gain knowledge,” “develop better knowledge better practical skills,” and “do the needful.” These reduce naturalness and precision, even though the overall message remains understandable. Aim for more specific, natural collocations and avoid repeating “better.” For example, you could describe the course as developing skills relevant to your role and say how you would apply them at work. A more conventional closing request would also sound more professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including “I have joined a small course for six months” and the purpose clause “so that I will be able to study better.” Most of the message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors and awkward constructions are present. For example, “I had completed my studies already” uses a past perfect form without a clear later past reference; “I shall be going home till 4 pm” does not express the intended finishing time accurately; and “I am an employee … who is working full time” is unnecessarily cumbersome. There is also a missing space in “thereforeI,” which affects punctuation and readability. Use direct, consistent tense choices and check sentence boundaries and time expressions. More accurate control of these forms would make the request clearer.

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