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 Jim,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing this letter in-regards to reduction in my working hours as I have enrolled myself for a part time management course. This would allow me to focus more on the course and will be able to perform well in my class.

If situations favours I would like to work from seven in morning till noon, this would help me as I have my lecture one past hour after noon. I will make sure that all my pending tasks will be completed by these hours, and if anything urgent comes up I will be able over teams to assist with the urgency.

This course is designed for working professionals who wants to upgrade their professional career, I am looking to get some valuable insights from the professors as they are working with leading business houses. This would allow me to grow myself at our organization and will definitely help me getting promoted to manager.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly explain the reason for the request (a management course), specify the desired hours (7:00 AM to 12:00 PM), and describe the benefits to the employer (gaining insights from professors and future promotion potential). The tone is appropriate for a professional request. To improve, ensure the connection between your studies and the company's specific needs is more explicit; for instance, mentioning how the course content directly applies to your current projects would strengthen the argument for your employer's benefit.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into three distinct paragraphs, each addressing a specific requirement of the task. The progression of ideas is clear, moving from the request to the logistics and finally to the benefits. While the structure is sound, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat basic. Phrases like 'This would allow' are used repeatedly. Introducing a wider variety of linking words or transition phrases—such as 'Furthermore,' 'Consequently,' or 'In addition to this'—would improve the flow and make the transitions between sentences feel more sophisticated and less mechanical.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'enrolled,' 'professional career,' and 'valuable insights.' However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'If situations favours' should be 'If circumstances permit,' and 'getting promoted to manager' is slightly informal. Additionally, 'business houses' is not a standard collocation in this context; 'companies' or 'organizations' would be more natural. Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise professional collocations will help you reach a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that, while not impeding communication, are noticeable. For instance, 'I am writing this letter in-regards to reduction' is missing an article ('a reduction'), and 'who wants to upgrade' should be 'who want' to agree with the plural 'professionals.' The phrase 'one past hour after noon' is also awkward and grammatically unclear. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles will significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.

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.