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)

Dear Sir,

My name is Puneet Sharma . I am working as Sales head in your company last two years. I am employee of the month last several month and i complete my target every month.

I am writing this letter to inform you i have faced several problems since last couple of weeks regarding working hours. I worked late nights in office and I also missed my class last couple of weeks and I cannot managed both things parallelly

As my humble request to you kindly reduce my working hours so that i wanted to study for my future . i will preffer morning shift so kindly change my shift and I was study business management which will help in my job and your company .kindly working on it will be glad

Thanking you

Regards ,

Puneet Sharma .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the reason for the request, the preferred hours, and the benefits to the employer. However, the response is under the 150-word minimum, which negatively impacts the score. The ideas are somewhat underdeveloped; for instance, the explanation of how business management studies would benefit the company is vague. To improve, you should expand on the specific skills you will gain and how they apply to your current role. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, but the lack of development and the failure to meet the length requirement limit the score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is logically organized, moving from the introduction to the request and the justification. However, the use of cohesive devices is very limited. There is a lack of linking words to connect sentences, making the flow feel somewhat disjointed. Paragraphing is also insufficient; the entire body of the letter is essentially one block of text. To improve, use transition words like 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'in addition' to connect your ideas, and ensure you use clear paragraph breaks to separate the introduction, the request, and the conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'faced several problems' and 'cannot managed' show limited control over word choice and collocation. There are also errors in word form, such as 'I was study' instead of 'I am studying'. While the meaning is generally clear, the range of vocabulary is insufficient to express ideas with precision or sophistication. To improve, try to incorporate more professional terminology related to business and employment, and focus on using correct verb forms and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including tense inconsistencies ('I am working... last two years'), subject-verb agreement issues ('I am employee'), and punctuation errors. The sentence structures are mostly simple, and attempts at more complex sentences often contain errors, such as 'kindly working on it will be glad'. These errors occasionally cause the reader to pause, though the overall message remains understandable. To improve, focus on mastering basic tenses, subject-verb agreement, and sentence structure before attempting more complex grammatical forms.

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

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