Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

My name is Sachdeep and currently working in a junior finance team in your company, I am writing this letter regarding the reduction in my hours of work because of my studies. Recently, I have initiated the short term course study to enhance my level and skills of my recent position therefore, I would like to make some changes in my daily working schedule.

In addition to this, this course is going to be 2 months long, by that time I will be working in limited hours as my study will continue side by side. For that reason, I will be unavailable on Thursdays and Fridays straight for 2 months.

Since, I am working in this company from last 5 years in the same position and was looking for the promotion. About 2 weeks ago, a posting was published on company's newsletter with a opening of position in senior department of finance and I wanted to grab this opportunity for the betterment of the company and for myself.

Thanks for understanding my situation and I will be looking forward to hearing from you for the same.

Yours Sincerely,

Sachdeep

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task. You explained the reason for the request (a short-term course), specified the hours (unavailable on Thursdays and Fridays), and described the benefit to the employer (gaining skills for a senior finance position). However, the development of the final point is slightly weak; while you mention the promotion, you could have more explicitly linked the course content to how it will specifically help the company's finance department. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, though the structure could be more refined to ensure a clearer flow of ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your request. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In addition to this' and 'For that reason' to connect your ideas. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical or slightly unnatural, such as 'Since, I am working in this company from last 5 years'. The progression of ideas is clear, but the connection between the course and the promotion could be smoother. Overall, the paragraphing is sufficient, and the information is presented in a way that is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your meaning, including terms like 'initiate', 'enhancement', and 'betterment'. There are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'short term course study' (should be 'short-term course') and 'grab this opportunity' (which is slightly informal for a letter to a boss). While you attempt to use more sophisticated language, some phrasing remains a bit repetitive or slightly awkward. Expanding your range of professional collocations would help elevate your score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For example, 'currently working in a junior finance team' lacks a subject, and 'from last 5 years' should be 'for the last 5 years'. Additionally, there are issues with article usage and preposition placement, such as 'with a opening of position'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they are frequent enough to impact the overall fluency and accuracy of your writing.

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