Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-07-30

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 Mr Adam,

I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to request a reduction in my working hours starting next month due to education purposes.

I got approved to continue my master degree program in business at the University of Toronto. However, I am requesting to decrease my hours shift to six hours per day, four days a week. I am very excited to start my journey, this opportunity will allow me expand my learning in finance and merge my professional and academic knowledge to help the company grow and increase it profit, and in the near future our enterprise will become the best between competitors.

I would appreciate it if you could help me with this matter as it offers mutual interest for us.

Thank you for your time and assistance. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Abed el Aziz Jamal el Dine.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly explained the reason for the request (master's degree), specified the desired working hours (six hours per day, four days a week), and articulated the benefits to your employer (merging academic knowledge with professional practice). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a manager. The ideas are relevant and well-developed, ensuring the reader understands your position and the value you bring to the company. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly more on the specific skills you expect to gain from your studies to further strengthen the argument for your employer's benefit.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter follows a logical structure, moving from the purpose of the email to the specific request and finally the benefits. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the introduction, the request details, and the closing. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However' and 'in the near future' to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences could be improved; for instance, the second paragraph is a long, run-on sentence that could be broken down to improve readability. Using a wider variety of linking words or transition phrases would help the text progress more smoothly.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'reduction', 'professional and academic knowledge', and 'mutual interest'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'education purposes' (should be 'educational purposes') and 'increase it profit' (should be 'its profit'). Additionally, 'best between competitors' is slightly unnatural; 'best among competitors' or 'industry leader' would be more precise. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, incorporating more precise academic or business-related collocations would elevate the quality of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'I got approved' (passive voice 'I have been accepted' is more formal) and 'allow me expand' (should be 'allow me to expand'). The sentence starting with 'I am very excited...' is a comma splice, which affects grammatical accuracy. Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear throughout the letter. To improve, focus on using more varied complex structures and ensuring correct verb patterns (e.g., 'allow someone to do something') and consistent use of articles and possessive pronouns.

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