Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-11

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,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing this letter to inform youthat I am starting part-time study in Project Management program from upcoming month that would require me to reduce the working hours and focus on studies as well.

As I am starting my study after 5 years of working in corporate firm, it will demand more efforts and stable focus in all classes and assignments to achieve desirable result end of the study program. This is why I would like to reduce my weekly office hours. My lectures timing is in the morning from monday to wednesday so that on those days I would work from afternoon to evening and i will try to componset the working hours on weekends by working from home.

My study will add more value in my future project as i would get good hand on IT project management and by getting knowledge on modern software used in IT, I would be able apply it on my ongoing work too. Because the course will teach how to apply modern IT softewares in real world.

I hope you will consider my request.

Yours faithfully,

Sam

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly explained the reason for the request (Project Management studies), specified the desired working hours (afternoons/evenings and weekends), and articulated the benefits to the employer (applying modern IT software skills). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a boss. To reach a higher band, ensure that the explanation of how the studies benefit the employer is more specific; for example, mentioning a particular project or a specific skill set would make the argument more persuasive and fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter follows a logical progression, moving from the purpose of the letter to the specific request and finally the benefits. Paragraphing is used, though the body paragraphs could be more clearly separated to distinguish between the request details and the justification. You use some cohesive devices like 'This is why' and 'Because', but the flow is occasionally slightly mechanical. To improve, try using a wider variety of linking words to connect your ideas more fluidly, such as 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'in addition to this'.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'corporate firm', 'desirable result', and 'ongoing work'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'get good hand on' (should be 'gain hands-on experience') and 'componset' (spelling error for 'compensate'). There is also some repetition of the word 'study'. To improve, focus on using more precise professional collocations and ensure you proofread for spelling errors, as these minor slips prevent the vocabulary from being considered 'flexible' or 'sophisticated'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. However, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'inform youthat' (missing space), 'program from upcoming month' (missing article 'the'), and 'lectures timing is' (should be 'lecture timings are'). Additionally, there are punctuation issues, such as the lack of capitalization for 'monday' and 'wednesday'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and basic capitalization rules to improve accuracy.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.