Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

Dear boss,

I am writing this letter to inform you that i want to reduce my working hours at work because i want to study part-time. I want to reduce my working hours because my university exams and assingments are coming from this month so that's why i want to start part-time study to getting good marks. I wish to work 9 am to 2 pm because after these hours of shift i got so much time left for my study. If study part time then it will become help to your company because after completing my university degree i expand my skills at work because you know this is my carpenter degree so i got a degree after completing my graduation and also give a good feedback at work because i study a lot for this so i did everything good at so you also have benefit of this.

yours sincerly

rahul yadav

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the reason for the request, the preferred hours, and the benefits to the employer. However, the development of these ideas is quite limited. The explanation regarding the benefit to the employer is repetitive and lacks professional clarity, particularly the vague reference to a 'carpenter degree'. While the purpose of the letter is clear, the tone is somewhat informal and lacks the professional polish expected in a formal request to a manager. To improve, you should expand on how your specific studies will translate into tangible value for the company, rather than repeating that you will 'do everything good'.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter is written as a single block of text, which significantly impacts the coherence. A formal letter should be structured with clear paragraphing: an introduction, body paragraphs for each requirement, and a conclusion. The use of cohesive devices is very limited and repetitive, relying heavily on 'because' and 'so'. The flow of ideas is somewhat disjointed, making the reader work harder to follow your logic. To reach a higher band, you must use paragraph breaks to separate your points and incorporate a wider range of linking words, such as 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'in addition'.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'do everything good' and 'get so much time left' are informal and lack the precision required for a professional request. There are also errors in word choice, such as 'expand my skills' (which is slightly awkward in this context) and the misuse of 'assingments'. While the meaning is generally conveyed, the range is limited to very common words. To improve, focus on using more professional collocations and precise terminology related to workplace communication and academic study.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. These include capitalization errors (e.g., 'i' instead of 'I'), punctuation issues, and awkward sentence structures. For example, 'If study part time then it will become help to your company' is grammatically incorrect and lacks a clear subject. The sentence structures are mostly simple, with limited attempts at complex sentences. The errors are frequent enough to cause some difficulty for the reader, although the overall message remains understandable. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would significantly improve your score.

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

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