Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-09

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 5.5)

Dear sir,

I Hope you doing well . I am just thinking to reduce my working hours because i want to do some study related to my job.

I am looking to work just in weekdays because it will be also helpful for the company Most of work usually in weekdays and weekends will be perfect for my study.

In modern era, artificial intelligence becomes more essential for everyone. I already have knowledge about this but I would like to learn more to make our company work faster and easier which will be very beneficial for the growth of company. Many of times some tasks can be done by artificial intelligence if we have proper understanding of how we can use so that’s why i am planning to do study to become perfect in this field which can be get more profit for the company. I hope you will understand my point and will get my schedule accordingly.

Your sincerely,

Manveer singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the reason for the request, the preferred hours, and the benefits to the employer. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention artificial intelligence as a benefit, the explanation is repetitive and lacks specific detail regarding how your reduced schedule would practically function alongside your studies. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, though the opening and closing salutations are slightly informal or contain minor errors. To improve, ensure that each point is expanded with more concrete examples or a clearer professional justification.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized into a logical sequence, moving from the request to the justification and the benefits. However, the paragraphing is weak; the entire body of the letter is essentially one block, which makes it harder to follow. The use of cohesive devices is quite limited and sometimes mechanical, such as the repetitive use of 'and' to connect ideas. To reach a higher band, you should use clear paragraph breaks for each distinct point and incorporate a wider range of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'in addition') to improve the flow between sentences.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely on basic phrasing such as 'do some study' and 'make our company work faster'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'can be get more profit', which is grammatically and lexically incorrect. While the meaning is generally clear, the range of vocabulary is narrow and does not demonstrate the ability to use less common or more sophisticated terms effectively. Focusing on professional collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing will help improve your score in this area.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including issues with subject-verb agreement ('artificial intelligence becomes', 'Most of work usually in weekdays'), missing articles, and awkward sentence construction ('I Hope you doing well'). The range of structures is limited, consisting mostly of simple sentences. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are noticeable and occur consistently. To improve, pay closer attention to basic verb tenses, the use of articles, and sentence structure. Practicing complex sentence formation will also help you demonstrate a wider grammatical range.

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

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