Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Sir / Madam,

I am writing to letter to request you regarding the work hours reduction as I am planning to do certification to up skill myself with the trending technology that will support my current roles and responsibilities.

I am working for 42 hours per week starting Monday to Saturday. My work timing is from 9 AM to 5 PM. I wanted to reduce my working hours from 42 to 30 hours per week, so that I can focus my concentration for my certification also. I will also make sure all my tasks will be accomplished within my limited time frame.

In this world of AI technologies, improving my skill set towards AI will not only compliment my growth, but also it will help with abundance of knowledge that I can implement in my work to have better strategies and improved planning which will benefit our clients.

Requesting to kindly support and help me with part time study.

Yours sincerely,

Theepicaa

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly state the reason for the request (certification in AI), specify the desired hours (30 hours per week), and explain the benefit to the employer (improved strategies and planning). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a manager. To reach a higher band, you could provide more specific details about the proposed schedule, such as which days you would prefer to take off, to make the request more practical and fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt. You use some cohesive devices like 'so that', 'not only... but also', and 'which will benefit', which help the flow of ideas. However, the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the overall progression of ideas is easy to follow throughout the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'responsibilities', 'accomplished', 'technologies', and 'strategies'. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'request you regarding' (should be 'make a request regarding') and 'compliment my growth' (should be 'complement'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the more sophisticated or precise collocations that would characterize a higher band score. The language is functional and appropriate for a workplace context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I am writing to letter to request' (should be 'I am writing a letter to request'), 'I am working for 42 hours' (should be 'I work 42 hours'), and 'focus my concentration for my certification' (should be 'focus on my certification'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. To improve, focus on verb tense consistency and correct preposition usage, as these are the primary areas where errors occur.

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

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