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 Mr. Gill,

I am writing this letter to get your permission for reducing my office hours. I am looking forward to attend the school for my further Studies. I am enrolled in a part time course of Bookkeeping for Summer semester.

The course will run from Monday to Thursday from 8am to 11.30pm Eastern Time. Therefore, it is 5am to 8.30am in Pacific Time. However, I need to open the office at 9am consequently, it will make me harder to reach at a time. I would prefer to change schedule from 9 am to 10 am.

As I already mentioned, I will attend the bookkeeping course, which can help me as well our firm to learn new strategies and techniques to make payroll and other accounting work. I will learn Tax related shortcuts ,so these can help to attract more clients. Therefore, it can help in our company's growth.

Thank you for your time and Consideration.

Yours sincerely,

Simly

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task: explaining the reason for the request, specifying the desired hours, and describing the benefits to the employer. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a manager. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, while you mention that the bookkeeping course will help the firm, the explanation is brief and could be expanded to show a deeper understanding of how these skills translate into workplace efficiency. Additionally, the request regarding the specific hours is slightly confusingly phrased, which makes the proposal less clear than it could be.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical structure with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a formal closing. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Therefore' and 'However' to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'consequently, it will make me harder to reach at a time.' Paragraphing is used, but the transition between the explanation of the course and the specific request for hours could be smoother to improve the overall progression of your argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'enrolled', 'strategies', and 'consideration'. There are some instances of awkward phrasing and word choice, such as 'make me harder to reach at a time' and 'I am looking forward to attend'. These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your writing. To reach a higher band, you should focus on more natural collocations and avoid repetitive structures. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your message clearly but lacks the flexibility and sophistication required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'I am looking forward to attend' (should be 'attending'), 'it will make me harder to reach' (should be 'it will be harder for me to arrive'), and 'help me as well our firm' (should be 'help me as well as our firm'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma placement. These errors are noticeable and occur throughout the text, though they do not prevent the reader from understanding your request.

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

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