Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-06

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 Mr Smith,

I am writing to request about the reduction of my current working hours due to I am unable to spend enough time on my part-time study.

I am working during all weekdays. To prepare my assignments, projects and study, I only get weekend. As a result I am not able to complete my academic task and as a result it is impacting to my final score.

I have prepared a suitable timetable for balancing work and study together. I will make sure this wouldn't impact to my work. As part of this schedual I am planning to work on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. So in this way, I can help team to handle the pressure of work on the begining of the week and to wrap everything, will be there on each Friday.

As a result, I would be able to improve my academic score and can focus more towards my work during the working hours.

I would appriciate if you could consider this request. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kind regards,

Jemish Roy

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly explain the need to reduce hours for study, specify the desired schedule (Monday, Wednesday, Friday), and outline the benefits to the employer, such as your ability to focus better during work hours. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a manager. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly on the specific benefits to the employer, perhaps by mentioning how your studies might add value to your current role or specific projects, rather than focusing primarily on your own academic success.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a distinct aspect of the request. You use some cohesive devices such as 'As a result' and 'In this way' to connect ideas. However, the flow is occasionally slightly mechanical. To improve, ensure that transitions between sentences are smoother and avoid repetitive sentence structures. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the overall progression of ideas is easy to follow throughout the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message, such as 'reduction', 'timetable', and 'academic task'. However, there are some spelling errors ('schedual' instead of 'schedule', 'appriciate' instead of 'appreciate') and minor word choice issues, such as 'impacting to' (should be 'impacting' or 'having an impact on'). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the score from being higher. Using more precise collocations would enhance the professional tone of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'due to I am unable' (should be 'due to the fact that I am unable') and 'help team' (missing an article: 'help the team'). Additionally, 'on the begining' should be 'at the beginning'. While these errors are noticeable, they do not cause confusion for the reader. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions and articles in formal contexts.

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

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