Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-14

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 Manager,

i am writing to request a reducation in my working hours because i would like to countinue my education by study parttime.

the main reasons for this request is that i want to improve my professional knowledge and develop new skills that will help me in my furture career.Ibelive that further education is important for my personal and professional delopment.

if possible,i would prefer to work from 8;00am to 2;00pm .,Monday to Friday,instead of my cureent working hours .this schedule would give me enough time to attend my classesin the afternoon while continuing to fulfil my responsibilities at work.

Furthermore,my studies would also benefit the company .i would gain better communication, problem_solving and management skills ,which i could apply to my daily duties.i am confident that this knowlege would help me become a more effective employee and contribute positively to the organisation.

i would be grateful if you could consider my request .thank you for your time and understanding.

Your sincerely

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three required points and maintains a clear, polite request. You explain that you want to continue your education to improve professional knowledge and develop skills, specify a proposed schedule of 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on weekdays, and describe benefits to the company, including stronger communication, problem-solving, and management skills. These ideas are relevant and supported with a brief explanation of how you would apply them at work. To make the response more fully developed, clarify what you plan to study and connect that subject more specifically to your current role. The closing is courteous, although “Dear Manager” and “Yours sincerely” could be made more appropriate by using your boss’s name if known and matching the sign-off to the greeting.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The information follows a sensible order: you state your request and reason, give the preferred hours, explain the employer’s benefit, and close politely. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these stages, while “Furthermore” signals the final main point. The overall progression is clear, but some links feel mechanical, and punctuation and spacing make the flow less smooth—for example, “if possible,i would prefer” and “the company .i would gain.” The opening reason and the later benefit could also be connected more explicitly so the reader sees how your studies relate to your duties. Use consistent paragraphing and sentence boundaries, and vary transitions naturally rather than relying on a single linking word.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a workplace request, including “professional knowledge,” “personal and professional development,” “fulfil my responsibilities,” and “contribute positively.” These phrases communicate the purpose and benefits clearly, and the message remains understandable despite several spelling and word-form errors. However, errors such as “reducation,” “countinue,” “furture,” “delopment,” and “knowlege” reduce accuracy, while “study parttime” is an awkward collocation. Some wording is also general: naming the course or the specific skills it will provide would make the vocabulary more precise. Proofread spelling carefully and choose natural combinations such as “continue my education through part-time study.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response includes both simple and more developed sentence forms. For example, “This schedule would give me enough time to attend my classes in the afternoon while continuing to fulfil my responsibilities at work” combines a main clause with a time phrase effectively. Some grammatical and punctuation errors remain, although they rarely prevent understanding. In “the main reasons for this request is,” the plural subject does not agree with the verb; “the main reason … is” or “the main reasons … are” would be correct. Capitalisation at the start of sentences is inconsistent, and punctuation around the proposed schedule is faulty. Check subject–verb agreement, sentence openings, and punctuation, and use complete, clearly separated sentences throughout.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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