Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Smith,

I am writing this letter to request you to reduce my working hours. I am looking to enroll in the Bookkeeping course which will start from this Summer.

This is a part-time course and the schedule of classes is from 4 pm to 7pm. I am working 40 hours a week so I request you to reduce it to 30 hours so, that I can take my classes without any interruption.

This Course will cover the Sage and QuickBooks software and give us a opportunity to learn that how companies can generate Paystubs and enter data efficiently without putting the data entries manually. It can consume the time, and firms can finish their clients work on a time. I will be happier to teach this skill to my colleagues, so this can help us to contribute in our company's growth.

I expect a positive and prompt revert from you. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out me.

Yours sincerely,

Simj

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points of the prompt effectively. You clearly state the reason for the request (enrolling in a bookkeeping course), specify the desired hours (reducing from 40 to 30), and explain the benefit to the employer (learning software to improve efficiency and training colleagues). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a boss. To improve, ensure the specific hours you wish to work are clearer; you mention a reduction to 30 hours but do not explicitly state which days or specific time slots you would be absent, which is a key part of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter follows a logical structure with a clear opening, body paragraphs, and a closing. Paragraphing is used to separate the request from the justification. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes slightly mechanical. For example, the transition between the software description and the benefit to the company could be smoother. The use of cohesive devices like 'This is a part-time course' and 'I will be happier to' is functional, but the text would benefit from a wider range of linking words to connect ideas more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'enroll', 'interruption', and 'efficiently'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For instance, 'revert' is used incorrectly as a noun (it is a verb), and 'putting the data entries manually' is awkward phrasing. Additionally, 'consume the time' is not a natural collocation; 'time-consuming' would be more appropriate. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the score from reaching a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'give us a opportunity' (should be 'an'), 'learn that how' (unnecessary 'that'), and 'finish their clients work' (missing apostrophe: 'clients''). The phrase 'I will be happier to' is slightly unnatural in this context; 'I would be happy to' is more standard. While the meaning is always clear, the frequency of these minor errors in articles, prepositions, and punctuation limits the score to a 6.0.

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

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