Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 or Madam,

My name is Harmandeep Singh, working as an administrative assistant at your company. I am writing regarding my working hours and would like to reduce them in order to study part time.

I enrolled at college in a payroll assistant diploma and my schedule comes up with three days a week. It will not be possible to work seven days a week as I am a single parent.

I recommend that you to reduce my hours to 24 hours per week on any day between Thursday and Sunday so that I can work and study both efficiently. Despite this, I can assure you that I will cover my pending work smoothly.

Also, my education credentials would enhance my skills and contribute towards your organization. As you know, our payroll specialist is retiring soon, I will be happy to learn new job duties if you insist.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Yours Faithfully,

Harmandeep Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

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. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter to a boss. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, while you mention the payroll diploma, you could have elaborated more on how specific skills gained from the course would directly assist the company. The mention of working 'seven days a week' is slightly confusing as it implies you currently work every day, which may not be the case. Overall, the response is clear and fulfills the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter follows a logical structure with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a formal closing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Also' and 'Despite this' to link ideas. However, the transition between the request for hours and the mention of the payroll specialist is a bit abrupt. To improve, ensure that your sentences flow more naturally into one another. The paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter, and the overall progression of information is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'administrative assistant', 'enrolled', 'credentials', and 'organization'. There are some minor issues with collocation and word choice, such as 'my schedule comes up with three days a week' (which is slightly unnatural) and 'if you insist' (which sounds a bit demanding or confrontational in this context). A more professional alternative to 'if you insist' would be 'if you feel this would be beneficial'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the precision and sophistication required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'I recommend that you to reduce' (should be 'I recommend that you reduce' or 'I recommend reducing') and 'I will be happy to learn new job duties if you insist'. Additionally, the phrase 'my schedule comes up with' is grammatically awkward. Despite these errors, your meaning is always clear, and the mistakes do not impede communication. To reach a higher band, focus on refining your control over complex sentence structures and ensuring subject-verb agreement and correct verb patterns.

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

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