Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-04

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 6.0)

Dear Manager,

I am writing this to request you for reducing my working hours. The reason for my request is i just want to continue my studies. As now i am doing work 40 hours in a week however, in order to start my study i have to be a part worker instead of full time. Because i think it would be difficult for me to do full time work along with study because it can increase my stress.

My class taking place in evening so i would prefer to do work in early morning shift . I hope you will understand my situation and allow me to do part time work.

I am going to take business management so i believe in return it will help you in manage the company. While study i will learn something new related to business that we can implement at work in order to rise our productivity. I would be help full in case you allow me to continue my study.

Thank you for your assistance.

Best regards,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points of the prompt: the reason for the request, the preferred hours, and the benefit to the employer. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation of how business management studies would benefit the employer is quite general, stating only that it would 'help you in manage the company' and 'rise our productivity.' To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific examples of how the skills gained in your course could be applied to your current role. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, though it lacks some professional polish.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, each focusing on a specific requirement of the task. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. For example, the transition between sentences often relies on simple structures like 'Because I think...' or 'I hope you will...'. There is a lack of sophisticated linking words to connect ideas more fluidly. While the progression of ideas is clear, the overall flow could be improved by using a wider variety of cohesive devices to better connect the sentences within each paragraph.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely on basic phrasing such as 'do work' instead of 'work' or 'carry out duties,' and 'help you in manage' which is grammatically incorrect. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'part worker' instead of 'part-time employee.' While the meaning is always clear, the range of vocabulary is limited to common, everyday words. To improve, try to incorporate more professional, business-oriented terminology that is relevant to the context of a formal request to a manager.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. You frequently omit articles (e.g., 'in evening' instead of 'in the evening') and struggle with verb forms (e.g., 'help you in manage' instead of 'help you manage'). Additionally, there are issues with subject-verb agreement and pronoun usage, such as 'i just want' (the pronoun 'I' should always be capitalized). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency of the writing.

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

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