Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Dear Sir,

I am writing this letter to request about working hours to be reduce due to part time study.

Recently, I have joined cloud69 course from courcera application. They have given me 30 days deadline to finish my course. To acquire a certificate, I have to pass the exam which is quite difficult as i heard from internet. Although i can finish my course in that regular hours. I still need some time for preparation of exam.

I would like to have friday off for next 4 weeks as i can manage my regular office hours. If i need to do any overtime, I can manage from Monday to Thursday. I will have Friday, Saturday and Sunday off which is enough for preparation.

Right now, I am working on Toronto hydro in Software development department. But, our manager wants me to work in cloud management system as the future is cloud. If i finish this course in time, there will be no disruption in our on going project and i will able to give my 100% in it.

I hope you understand my situation and give me day off for friday.

Yours faithfully,

Tez

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter covers all three bullet points: the reason for the request, the specific hours required, and the benefit to the employer. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter to a boss. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, the explanation of how the course benefits the employer is a bit brief and could have been expanded to highlight specific skills that would add value to the 'cloud management system' project. Despite this, the purpose of the letter is clear, and the reader is fully informed of the request and the justification behind it.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is logically organized into distinct paragraphs, each serving a clear purpose. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and limited. Transitions between sentences are often simple, and there is a reliance on basic conjunctions like 'although' and 'if'. While the paragraphing is appropriate, the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect ideas more fluidly. Referencing is generally clear, though some sentences feel slightly disjointed due to the lack of sophisticated cohesive links.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate their request clearly. There are some attempts at topic-specific vocabulary, such as 'software development' and 'cloud management system'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are occasional errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'request about working hours to be reduce' (should be 'request a reduction in working hours') and 'in that regular hours' (should be 'during regular hours'). More precise vocabulary would elevate the professional tone of the letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb forms and prepositions, such as 'to be reduce' instead of 'to be reduced' and 'working on Toronto hydro' instead of 'working at Toronto Hydro'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some missing capital letters for proper nouns and days of the week. These errors do not impede communication, but they do indicate a need for more careful proofreading and a better grasp of sentence construction and grammatical accuracy.

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