Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-03

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 boss

I hope you are doing well as you know i work full time but my friends enrolled in advance first aid program that sponsored by college team and i also take part in that program due to this it also effects my working hours because it is 2 months program and i need to attend a class per week. Which held on every Monday. I would like to request you about reducing my working hours for Monday which means i do not able to work on Monday mornings. Even you know for construction workers first aid certificate or information is required for work which really helps for our team in the situation of working with our workers. Apart from this, it also issues me a certificate for this which i will carry during work for any kind of emergency that prior knowledge helps us during emergency situations. I hope you understand this and update my schedule accordingly to my request. If you need any assistance please feel free to contact me.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt: explaining the reason for the request, specifying the desired hours, and describing the benefit to the employer. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, although the opening 'Dear boss' is too informal; 'Dear Mr/Ms [Name]' would be more professional. The ideas are relevant, but the development is somewhat repetitive, particularly regarding the benefits of the first aid training. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is clearly separated and fully expanded with more precise details.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter follows a logical progression, moving from the request to the justification. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited and sometimes mechanical. For example, the transition 'Apart from this' is used, but the overall flow is hindered by a lack of paragraphing. The entire response is written as a single block of text, which makes it difficult to read. Using clear paragraph breaks for the introduction, the request, the benefits, and the closing would significantly improve the structure and readability of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision expected at higher levels. You rely on basic phrasing, such as 'effects my working hours' (which should be 'affects') and 'issues me a certificate'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'information is required for work'. To improve, try to incorporate more specific professional terminology related to workplace requests and training programs. While your meaning is generally clear, the lack of variety in your word choice limits your score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede the flow. Examples include 'my friends enrolled in advance first aid program' (missing articles), 'Which held on every Monday' (sentence fragment), and 'I do not able to work' (incorrect verb form). You rely heavily on simple sentence structures, and your attempts at complex sentences often contain errors in punctuation or syntax. Focusing on subject-verb agreement, correct article usage, and ensuring that every sentence has a clear subject and main verb will help you improve your accuracy.

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

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