Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-13

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 Mr. Josh,

I hope you are doing well. I would like to request reducing the hours per week because I am going to start new course soon so, I will not be able to work full time.

I was thinking to study Clinical Research Analyst course which will start after 2 months. This particular study will help to grow in my future endeavour.

To study this, I will be not able to come on Monday, Tuesday and Saturday. Therefore,September onwards, I will cover rest of the shift from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Once I will have the certificate of graduation, I will be eligible to do much more responsibilities than current position. For example, currently I am just working on the few of the project in Pharmaceutical company and just gather the data, but after this course, I can work in the lab as well. So, I can help company to match actual facts with past research.

Thank you for the consideration. I am looking forward for your response.

Best Regards,

Mr. Josh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly explain the reason for the request (a new course), specify the desired working hours (Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday off), and explain the benefits to the employer (gaining skills to work in the lab and verify research). The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter to a boss. To improve, ensure the connection between your studies and the company's specific needs is even more explicit, as the current explanation is slightly general. Overall, the task is fully addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into distinct paragraphs, each serving a clear purpose. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Therefore' and 'For example' to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes slightly mechanical. For instance, the transition in the first paragraph ('so, I will not be able to') could be smoother. Additionally, the use of referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the final paragraph where the connection between the certificate and the new responsibilities could be more tightly linked. Overall, the progression of ideas is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'endeavour', 'eligible', and 'pharmaceutical'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, you write 'gather the data' instead of 'collect data' or 'analyze data', and 'do much more responsibilities' is incorrect; the standard collocation is 'take on more responsibilities'. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on natural collocations will significantly improve your lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors throughout the text. Common issues include missing articles ('start new course', 'in Pharmaceutical company'), incorrect preposition usage ('looking forward for your response' should be 'looking forward to'), and awkward phrasing ('I will be not able to'). While the meaning remains clear, the frequency of these errors indicates a need for more careful proofreading, particularly regarding articles and verb patterns. Increasing the variety of complex structures while maintaining accuracy would help raise your score.

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

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