Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Dear Sir,

I hope you are doing well. I would like to let you know about my work hours because of my studies. From next month i join a part-time course, which will help me build my career.

This course is about computers, which will also help our company in the future when I get the certificate; I will get an opportunity for career growth as well. My studies will be online three days a week: Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday. On these three days, I would like to reduce my working hours.

With the help of this course, I will learn about software, which will give me more experience and benefit our company in the future.

Regards,

Ayush

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter covers all three bullet points: the reason for the request, the specific hours, and the benefit to the employer. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum requirement, which negatively impacts the development of ideas. The explanation of how the studies benefit the company is quite repetitive and lacks depth. To improve, you should expand on the specific skills you will acquire and how they can be applied to your current role. Because the letter is 32 words short, it fails to fully develop the required points, resulting in a lower score for task achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body, and closing. Paragraphing is used, though the paragraphs are quite short due to the limited word count. Cohesive devices are minimal; for example, you use 'This course' and 'With the help of this course' to link ideas, but the flow is somewhat mechanical. To achieve a higher band, try to use a wider variety of linking words and phrases (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'in addition to this') to create a smoother transition between your request and the justification.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. You rely on simple terms like 'help' and 'work', which are repeated several times. There is little evidence of less common or more precise vocabulary. To improve, aim to use more professional and specific terminology related to your field of study or workplace. For instance, instead of saying 'help our company', you could use 'contribute to the company's efficiency' or 'add value to the team'. Expanding your range of collocations will significantly improve your lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentences. There are some grammatical errors, such as the lowercase 'i' in 'From next month i join', which should be capitalized. The sentence structure is generally clear, but there is a lack of variety in complex structures. To reach a higher band, you should incorporate a wider range of grammatical forms, such as conditional sentences (e.g., 'If I were to complete this course, I would be able to...') or passive voice constructions, while ensuring high accuracy in punctuation and capitalization.

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.