Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-14

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 Sylwia

Regarding: work hours reduction for educational purpose

I hope you are doing well, I am contacting you regarding the time period of my job. As currently I do the full time job but I have taken condominium management course for which I would need to attend the college. In this way, it is difficult for me to manage both job and study at the same timing. Therefore, I would like to request you to make required changes in my schedule. I want the exception only for mondays and friday afternoons.

After completion of my course I will be able to enhance my knowledge in the field of property management and day to day to operations will be much easier to handle. It will help to reduce spendings on various kinds of services and the reserve fund will start increasing rapidly , which will ultimately effect the brand value of the building

Yours sincerely

Sukhjeet Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly state the reason for the request (the condominium management course), specify the desired schedule (Mondays and Friday afternoons), and explain the benefits to the employer (enhanced knowledge and operational efficiency). However, the tone is somewhat inconsistent; while it is a formal request, the opening 'I am contacting you regarding the time period of my job' is slightly unnatural. The development of ideas is sufficient, but could be more professional to better suit the context of a formal request to a boss.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body, and closing. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Therefore' and 'After completion of my course' to link ideas. However, the paragraphing is a bit thin, and the transition between the request and the benefits could be smoother. The use of 'Regarding:' as a subject line is acceptable, but the overall flow feels a bit mechanical. To improve, ensure that each paragraph has a clear focus and use a wider variety of linking words to connect your sentences more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'condominium management', 'operational', and 'brand value'. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'time period of my job' (which is vague) and 'effect' instead of 'affect'. Additionally, 'spendings' is less common than 'expenditure' or 'costs'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher band scores. Focusing on collocations and more formal business terminology would enhance your writing significantly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I do the full time job' (should be 'I work full-time'), 'at the same timing' (should be 'at the same time'), and 'mondays and friday' (which require capitalization). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with missing commas after introductory phrases and in the closing. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent capitalization to improve your accuracy.

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

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