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 Sarah,

I hope you are doing well.

This email is in regard to I thinking of reducing my work hours as I will be taking a part time study course in the upcoming month. The course is called as, " Healthcare leadership and supervision" which I think I am lacking on currently. I believe that this course will really help me to work on to the skills that I am currently lacking and benefit me at my current role.

Talking about my availability, I would be working the same time as earlier on weekends and would like do evenings for Monday and Wednesday instead of the mornings that I am usually doing. This is because my all classes are going to be in the morning.

Further, I believe that this course would not only advantage me in my personal curriculum but also will be helpful for you as an employer. This would be helpful for me ro make the responsible decision at work without bothering you.

Thanks for your understanding. I will be looking forward for your response.

Best regards,

Sarah

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points of the prompt: explaining the reason for the request, specifying the desired hours, and describing the benefits to the employer. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a manager. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation of how the course benefits the employer is vague, stating only that it helps the writer 'make the responsible decision'. Expanding on specific skills or projects that would improve would have strengthened the response. Overall, the purpose is clear and the requirements are met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a specific purpose. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Talking about my availability' and 'Further', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The referencing is generally clear, although the sentence 'This would be helpful for me ro make the responsible decision' is slightly ambiguous in its connection to the previous point about the curriculum. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different requirements of the task.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate their needs clearly. There are some instances of awkward phrasing or minor errors, such as 'The course is called as' (should be 'The course is called') and 'advantage me in my personal curriculum' (should be 'benefit my professional development'). While the range is sufficient to convey the message, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. The use of 'lacking on' is also non-standard collocation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I thinking of reducing' (should be 'I am thinking of reducing'), 'my all classes' (should be 'all my classes'), and 'I will be looking forward for' (should be 'looking forward to'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. The control of tense and word order is generally consistent, but the frequency of minor errors prevents a higher score.

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

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