Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear Sumesh,

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing you to discuss reducing my working hours as I am willing to excel my skills studying MBA. I would really want to gain valuable knowledge and skills so that I can contribute more to the comany.

However, I would really appreciate your support in this as I would be only able to work on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays for the upcoming 6 months and would be more flexible thereafter as my course would be online lately. The decision has been taken considering the required skills and certifications required to help our company towards achieving the goals. I would always ensure my responsibilities and tasks are timely completed and aligning towards the company’s objectives.

I would love to hear back from you shortly and will keep you updated with my progress and any changes in my schedules lately.

Thanks and regards,

Ramiz

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly explained the reason for the request (MBA studies), specified the desired working hours (Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays), and described the benefits to the employer (gaining skills to contribute to company goals). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a manager. To reach a higher band, you could provide more specific detail on how the MBA curriculum directly translates into value for your current role, rather than using general phrases like 'achieving the goals'. Overall, the task is fully addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the request from the justification. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However' and 'thereafter', though the flow could be improved with a wider variety of linking words. Some transitions feel slightly mechanical, such as the repetition of 'required' in the second paragraph. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear, and the reader can easily follow your request and the supporting arguments.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'contribute', 'objectives', and 'flexible'. However, there are some awkward word choices and collocations. For example, 'excel my skills' is not standard English; 'enhance my skills' or 'develop my skills' would be more natural. The use of 'lately' at the end of the letter is incorrect in this context; 'in the future' or 'at that time' would be more appropriate. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that slightly distract the reader, such as 'I am writing you to discuss' (should be 'writing to you'), 'comany' (spelling error), and 'would be only able to' (word order). The phrase 'aligning towards the company’s objectives' is also slightly ungrammatical; 'aligned with' would be better. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and standard prepositional phrases will improve your accuracy.

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

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