Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-07-28

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 5.5)

Dear joban sandhu,

Hope you are doing well.I am writing to inform you that I want to persue part time course of personal support worker for that I have to decrease hours of work.

The reason I want to reduce the working hours as I decided to enroll in personal support worker course from next month .The timing of claases is not match according to working hours.so would able to work only for 4 hours in the morning otherwise it would collapse with my study schedule.Even I could not focus properly on study as it require to time to complete practical as well as therotical work.

i would like to work from 7 am to 11 am on Monady ,tuesday and wednesday.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the reason for the request, the preferred hours, and the benefit to the employer. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum, which limits the development of ideas. Specifically, the third bullet point regarding the benefit to the employer is entirely missing from the text, as the student only mentions their own study needs. To reach a higher band, you must ensure all parts of the prompt are fully developed with supporting details. Because the length requirement was not met and a key part of the task was omitted, the score is limited.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into short paragraphs, but the flow is somewhat disjointed. The use of cohesive devices is very limited, relying on basic connectors like 'so' and 'as'. There is a lack of transition between the explanation of the study schedule and the proposed working hours. To improve, you should use a wider range of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'in addition to this') to create a smoother progression of ideas. The paragraphing is present but could be more effectively used to separate the different requirements of the task.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are several spelling errors, such as 'persue' instead of 'pursue', 'claases' instead of 'classes', and 'therotical' instead of 'theoretical'. Additionally, the phrasing 'collapse with my study schedule' is unnatural; 'clash' or 'conflict' would be more appropriate. To improve, focus on using more precise professional terminology and proofreading for common spelling mistakes. The range of vocabulary is currently quite narrow, which restricts the ability to convey ideas with sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The letter contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex sentences, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'the reason I want to reduce the working hours as I decided' (missing 'is that'), 'it require to time' (incorrect verb form and preposition), and 'on Monady ,tuesday' (capitalization and punctuation errors). These errors are frequent and occasionally make the meaning slightly difficult to follow. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent use of articles. Increasing the variety of sentence structures while ensuring they are grammatically sound will help raise your score.

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