Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Sir,

I am writing to request you about decrease my working hours from next month as I am willing to persue management skill certificate course as a part time student.

The reason why I want to go for a study is because I want to improve my management skill for our upcoming big event at company. It would be advantageous for me and company if I will learn basic managing skills in this workshop.

I would like to take early leave on every tuesday & wednesday which is four hours from 12 pm to 4 pm.

At the end of part time study which is about to 150 hours, they will organize one workshop to use these skills in front of audiences which will improve my overall communication skills and eliminate my stage fear. This will boost my confidence for our upcoming mega event at company's head office.

I hope you will consider my request and will approve it as soon as possible.

Thank you,

Your sincerely,

Jay P

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points of the prompt: the reason for the request, the specific hours required, and the benefits to the employer. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter to a boss. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, the explanation of how the management course benefits the company is a bit repetitive, focusing heavily on the 'mega event' rather than broader professional growth. To reach a higher band, you should expand on how these skills will specifically improve your daily performance or team efficiency, providing more depth to your arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the logic. The progression of ideas is generally clear, moving from the request to the justification and then to the specific details. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat basic and occasionally mechanical. For instance, the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. While the paragraphing is sufficient, the overall flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and phrases to connect sentences more naturally rather than relying on simple sentence structures.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. You use relevant terms like 'management skill certificate' and 'advantageous'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'request you about decrease' (should be 'request a reduction in') and 'go for a study' (should be 'pursue my studies'). Additionally, 'persue' is misspelled. To improve, focus on using more precise professional collocations and ensure you are using the correct verb forms for formal requests. The vocabulary is sufficient for the task but lacks the flexibility and precision required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb forms and prepositions, such as 'if I will learn' (should be 'if I learn') and 'about to 150 hours' (should be 'about 150 hours'). There are also minor punctuation and capitalization issues, such as 'tuesday & wednesday'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of conditional structures would significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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