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 Tim,

I hope you are doing good. I am writing this letter to request you in reduction in my working hours to continue back my studies.

As you know during my interview I discuss about my IT course which I freeze due to lack of money for the next semester. But, now I have deposit my rest of course fee. Moreover, if I still not continue then I have to start from the skretch again. That's why I formally requesting you to reduce my working hours.

However, my part time study times are from Monday to Thursday from 4pm till late evening. This schedule will continue for next 4 months. In addition, I will try to come office after every two week on weekends for completion of my pending tasks.

Therefore, my part time studies can benefit organization in many ways. As I am doing specialization in cyber security, data management and data protection which can help to boost the company profile and enhance the data security. I hope you will consider my request and allow me to balance my studies and work.

Thank you

Shahrukh Ishtiaq

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly explain the reason for the request (resuming studies), specify the desired hours (Monday to Thursday, 4pm onwards), and describe the benefits to the employer (cyber security and data management skills). The tone is appropriate for a formal request to a manager. To improve, you could expand slightly on how the specific skills gained in your course will be applied to your current daily tasks to make the argument more persuasive. Overall, the task is fully addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'In addition', and 'Therefore' to link ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or forced. For instance, the transition between the interview mention and the request for reduced hours could be smoother. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different requirements of the task. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices and ensuring that the logical flow between sentences is more natural.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'specialization', 'cyber security', and 'data protection'. However, there are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'continue back my studies' (instead of 'resume my studies'), 'freeze' (instead of 'put on hold'), and 'skretch' (spelling error for 'scratch'). These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your writing. Expanding your vocabulary to include more formal collocations would help improve your score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'I discuss about' (should be 'I discussed'), 'I have deposit' (should be 'I have deposited'), and 'if I still not continue' (should be 'if I do not continue'). These errors are noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct verb tense usage, and consistent sentence construction. Proofreading for basic errors in tense and word form will significantly enhance the accuracy of your writing.

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

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