Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter to request you for decreasing my official work timings because I want to invest the rest of the time in part time MBA program.

As I informed you earlier, that I am preparing for a MBA entrance exam. The results are out now and I have been selected in online MBA program at IIT Bombay. It is a really great opprtunity for my career and overall development.

Presently my standard working hours are from 9 am to 6 pm. But, as the course timings are from 9 am to 12 pm, I will be unavailable during this time period. Therefore I request you to shift my work hours in second half of the day which is 1 pm to 6 pm. Due to such adjustment I will be able to both, my online course in first half of the day and office work in later half of the day.

As this advanced MBA course is taught by renowned IIT Bombay professors, I will gain an industry specific hands on experience and nitty-gritty deatils in the business. As a result, these management skills will be really helpful for growth of our company. Therefore, I request you to kindly consider my proposal of part time work and reduced working hours.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Regards

John.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The letter addresses all three requirements clearly: you explain that you want to study for an MBA, specify the proposed 1 pm–6 pm schedule, and describe how the qualification could help the company through stronger management skills. The reference to your selection for an online programme at IIT Bombay also gives the request a relevant personal context, while the closing maintains a suitably polite tone. The employer benefit is the least developed part: “helpful for growth of our company” is relevant but general, and could be supported with a specific example of how the new skills would improve your work or contribute to a team. Overall, the purpose and request remain clear throughout, with ideas extended but some scope for more precise support and a more tailored opening than “Sir or Madam.”

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information is arranged in a clear sequence: the reason for writing, your study opportunity, the proposed schedule, and the benefit to the employer. Separate paragraphs help the reader follow these stages, and linking expressions such as “Therefore” and “As a result” make the relationships between ideas explicit. The progression is logical throughout. At times, however, the links are a little repetitive or mechanical: “Therefore” appears more than once, and the final request repeats the purpose already stated in the opening. The sentence beginning “Due to such adjustment” also restates the schedule rather than adding a new point. To strengthen the flow, vary the transitions and use the space to develop the practical benefit to your employer.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for a formal workplace request, including relevant terms such as “MBA program,” “course timings,” “industry specific,” and “management skills.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and phrases such as “renowned IIT Bombay professors” add useful detail. There are some inaccurate or unnatural choices and spelling slips, including “request you for decreasing,” “opprtunity,” and “nitty-gritty deatils.” “Hands on experience” is also not the most precise description of what an online MBA course provides. These issues do not prevent understanding, but they limit the naturalness and precision of the vocabulary. Prefer established collocations such as “request a reduction in my working hours” and describe the specific knowledge or skills you expect to gain.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The letter includes a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, and most of the message is easy to understand. For example, “As this advanced MBA course is taught by renowned IIT Bombay professors, I will gain…” shows an attempt to use a subordinate clause to explain a result. Some grammatical errors remain. In “As I informed you earlier, that I am preparing,” the clause is incorrectly joined; write “As I informed you earlier, I am preparing…” The phrase “a MBA entrance exam” needs the article “an,” and “I will be able to both, my online course…” is missing a verb after “to” and has misplaced punctuation. The sentence about shifting your hours would also be clearer as a direct request. More accurate control of these patterns would build on the range already shown.

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