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 Sir,

I am writing this letter to reduce my working hours in order to study part-time.

I want to reduce my working hours because I have joined the Digital Marketing course for 6 months, so it would be difficult for me to manage work or study at the same time. Due to this, I can't work in the morning on weekdays.

I can work on weekends from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Also, on weekdays I can do night shifts from 7 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. With this, I can manage my part-time study as well as my working hours.

I am sure and confident my studies will benefit your company because I will learn things like data analysis and management, so it would be helpful to increase productivity and will increase efficiency in work. I will get perfection to do difficult tasks.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully,

Dilpreet Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points of the prompt effectively. You clearly explain the reason for the request (the Digital Marketing course), specify the desired working hours (weekends and night shifts), and outline the benefits to the employer (data analysis and management skills). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a boss. The ideas are relevant and well-developed, ensuring the reader understands your situation and the value you bring. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly on how the specific skills gained will be applied to your current role to make the argument even more persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific requirement of the task, which makes the letter easy to follow. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Due to this', 'Also', and 'With this' to link your sentences. While the structure is sound, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that the transition between your current situation and the benefits to the company flows more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'productivity', 'efficiency', and 'part-time'. However, there are some instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'I will get perfection to do difficult tasks', which is not idiomatic. The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. To improve, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing. For example, instead of saying 'I want to reduce', you could use 'I am writing to formally request a reduction in my working hours'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are some grammatical inaccuracies. For instance, 'I have joined the Digital Marketing course for 6 months' is slightly awkward; 'I have enrolled in a six-month Digital Marketing course' would be more accurate. Additionally, 'it would be difficult for me to manage work or study at the same time' should ideally be 'manage work and study'. There are also minor issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. Increasing the variety of complex structures while maintaining accuracy will help improve your score.

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

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