Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-05

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 Boss,

I am writing you to let you know about to decrease my working hours from next month as I am starting part time study.

From September 1st, supply chain course is starting, thus I am unable to work after 2 pm. So, If you could give me only opening shifts during this term will work for me. I know its 7 hour shift in total, and store is going to be more busy as predicted, but believe me its only option I have now.

These part time studies will benefit me a lot as a grocery supervisor. Even for higher position as well. I really work hard to be enrolled in this course as 80% marks were required for it, and supply chain is my favorite department and I like to know about it as much as possible. I hope you will understand my situation.

I will hearing from you soon.

Your faithfully,

MS

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: explaining the reason for the request, specifying the desired hours, and describing the benefits to the employer. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, while you mention the course will benefit you as a supervisor, you could have elaborated more on how specific skills from the supply chain course would directly improve store efficiency or inventory management. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, though the opening 'Dear Boss' is slightly informal; 'Dear [Manager's Name]' or 'Dear Manager' would be more professional.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized into three distinct paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your request. You use some cohesive devices such as 'thus', 'so', and 'even for', which help connect your ideas. However, the progression between sentences is occasionally a bit mechanical. For example, the transition between the second and third paragraph could be smoother. Additionally, the referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the phrase 'even for higher position as well', which lacks a clear subject. Improving the use of linking phrases would help the flow of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to communicate your request clearly, such as 'supply chain', 'enrolled', and 'supervisor'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'I am writing you to let you know about to decrease' is awkward; a more natural phrasing would be 'I am writing to request a reduction in my working hours'. Additionally, 'store is going to be more busy' should be 'busier'. While the vocabulary is adequate for the task, it lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'I am writing you to let you know about to decrease', 'supply chain course is starting' (missing an article), and 'I will hearing from you soon' (incorrect verb form). There are also punctuation and capitalization issues, such as 'its' instead of 'it's' and 'Your faithfully' instead of 'Yours faithfully'. While these errors do not prevent the message from being understood, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading and attention to basic grammatical rules.

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

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