Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

Dear Mr Pranto,

Good morning. I hope you are pretty well. I told you this before that I have to go my university 4 days in a week. So that, I really want to reduce my working hours to attend my classes.

You know if i can reduce my work hours then i can focus my study. Therefore, i can give some extra time to my skill. So that i can learn something and implement that in your employer. So i would like to work 10pm to 1pm every working day. That can help to improve myself and my part-time studies help to improve my working ability. On the other i believe that if i reduce my working time i also can learning so many think like new language like English. That can help our work professional.

Thank you for your attention. If you allow me i will be very blessed and also thank your for your kindness.

Sincerely,

Mehedi Hasan

Email: [redacted email]

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the reason for the request, the proposed hours, and the benefits to the employer. However, the development of these ideas is quite limited. For example, the explanation of how your studies benefit the employer is vague, stating only that you can 'learn something and implement that'. The proposed hours (10pm to 1pm) are also confusing, as this implies a 15-hour shift, which contradicts the goal of reducing working hours. To improve, you should provide more specific details about the skills you are gaining and ensure your proposed schedule is logical and clearly articulated.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organised into short paragraphs, which is appropriate for a formal letter. However, the progression of ideas is often disjointed. You use some cohesive devices like 'Therefore' and 'On the other', but they are sometimes used incorrectly or in a way that makes the flow mechanical. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'That can help our work professional', where the connection to the previous idea is weak. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each sentence logically follows the previous one would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is quite basic and repetitive. You rely on simple phrases like 'I hope you are pretty well' and 'I really want to'. There are also several instances of incorrect word choice, such as 'implement that in your employer' (which should refer to the company or the workplace) and 'can learning so many think' (which contains grammatical and lexical errors). To reach a higher band, you need to use a wider range of vocabulary, including more precise professional terminology related to work and education, and ensure that words are used in their correct collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the letter that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'go my university 4 days in a week', 'if i can reduce my work hours then i can focus my study', and 'thank your for your kindness'. You rely heavily on simple sentence structures, and attempts at more complex sentences often result in errors, such as missing articles, incorrect verb forms, and subject-verb agreement issues. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, including correct verb tenses and the proper use of articles, before attempting more complex grammatical structures.

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

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