Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-12
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 5.0)
To
The Manager
RE: about working hours
Dear Boss I hope you are doing well. As you already know that i m very much interested in studies and i wanted to continuining my study regarding finanace. So, i just wanted to tell u that i want to reduce my working hours so i can study efficiently. I like working in your company that is the reason i want to study more regarding my field so i will be studying part time and i want to work on 4 days 30 hours a week . i want to reduce my working hours so that i can focus on my studies and can do better in my field for thus company. i hope you understand.
Thankyou
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The letter addresses all three bullet points: the reason for the request, the proposed hours, and the benefits to the employer. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum requirement, which limits the development of ideas. The explanation of how the studies would benefit the employer is quite brief and lacks detail. To improve, you should expand on how your new financial knowledge will specifically add value to the company's operations. Because the response is under-length, it fails to fully develop the required points, resulting in a lower score for this criterion.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The letter lacks a clear structure. It is written as a single block of text rather than using appropriate paragraphing to separate the different points (reason, hours, benefits). There is a lack of cohesive devices; the sentences are linked in a repetitive manner, often starting with 'I' or 'so'. To improve, you should use clear paragraph breaks for each bullet point and incorporate transition words such as 'furthermore', 'consequently', or 'in addition' to improve the flow and logical progression of your ideas.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is basic and repetitive. You use simple phrases like 'I want to' and 'I like working' multiple times. There are also informal choices such as 'u' instead of 'you' and 'i' instead of 'I', which are inappropriate for a formal letter to a manager. To achieve a higher band, you need to use a wider range of vocabulary related to professional requests and business contexts. Avoid abbreviations and focus on using more precise, formal terminology to convey your message professionally.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including issues with capitalization ('i' instead of 'I'), verb tenses ('i wanted to continuining'), and punctuation. The sentence structures are mostly simple, with limited attempts at complex sentences. The lack of proper sentence boundaries and the use of informal shorthand ('u') negatively impact the clarity and professionalism of the writing. To improve, focus on basic sentence construction, correct subject-verb agreement, and ensuring that all personal pronouns are capitalized.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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