Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

Dear sir or madam

I am writing to request bask for reduce my working hours.

I wont breduce my working hours in order to study part time and this will help me so much in my study.

I would like to work at evening, because my study should be in the morning and i have to be in the university at the morning.

My part-time studes would benifit my job because I study in the field of business and that will help me alot.

I am looking for word to receiving your response soon.

Your faithfully

Mona Emam

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the development of the ideas. While all three bullet points are addressed, the explanations are extremely brief and lack the necessary detail to fully satisfy the task. For example, the benefit to the employer is mentioned only as 'I study in the field of business and that will help me alot,' which is too vague. To improve, you must expand on your ideas by providing specific examples of how your studies will contribute to the company's goals and by using a more professional tone throughout the letter.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter is very short, making it difficult to demonstrate a range of cohesive devices. While there is a basic attempt at paragraphing, the transitions between ideas are abrupt. The use of 'I am writing to...' and 'I am looking for word...' shows an attempt at standard letter structure, but the overall progression of ideas is limited by the lack of content. To improve, use linking words such as 'furthermore,' 'consequently,' or 'in addition' to connect your sentences more fluidly and ensure each paragraph has a clear, developed focus.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is quite basic and repetitive. There are several spelling errors, such as 'bask' instead of 'ask,' 'studes' instead of 'studies,' and 'benifit' instead of 'benefit.' The phrase 'help me so much' and 'help me alot' are informal and lack the precision required for a formal business letter. To achieve a higher score, you should use more sophisticated vocabulary related to professional settings, such as 'professional development,' 'contribute,' or 'mutually beneficial,' and pay closer attention to accurate spelling and formal word choice.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity, such as 'I wont breduce' (I want to reduce) and 'work at evening' (work in the evening). The sentence structures are simple and repetitive, with limited use of complex sentences. There are also errors in punctuation and formal letter conventions, such as 'Your faithfully' instead of 'Yours faithfully.' To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence structures, subject-verb agreement, and the correct use of prepositions. Increasing your range of complex structures will also help demonstrate better grammatical control.

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

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