Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Dear Albert,

Hope this letter find you in a better form.

I'm writing this letter in aim to inform you that i'm applying to a master program in commercial performance this year, it's a part time studies starting september during 1 year. Studies are online every tuesday, thursday and friday, classes starts at 2 pm and will finish at 6 pm.

I'm requesting to adapt my working hours and schedule in altered way, working as usual every monday and wednesday, for the rest i'm asking to work mornings, i'm able to work saturday also if it is necessary. This program have a good insights among laureates, it's a chance for me to develop my career forward and learn new things, also it's a way to practice learnings in the professional way on my daily work, i'm planning to start a new project inside the company in consistency aith my studies, i will collaborate aith the sales team to achieve great things together.

waiting for your feedback

have a nice day

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task. You explained the reason for the request (a master's program), specified the desired hours, and described the benefits to the employer. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation of how the studies benefit the employer is a bit vague, focusing more on your own career development than concrete value for the company. To reach a higher band, ensure that the benefits to the employer are more explicitly linked to company goals or productivity. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter to a manager, though it could be slightly more professional in its structure.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is logically organized, with each paragraph addressing a specific part of the prompt. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. You rely heavily on simple sentence structures and lack a variety of linking words to connect your ideas smoothly. For example, the transition between discussing your schedule and the benefits of the program is abrupt. Paragraphing is present, but the flow between sentences within the paragraphs could be improved by using a wider range of cohesive devices such as 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'in addition to this' to create a more natural progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'commercial performance', 'collaborate', and 'professional'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'in aim to inform you', 'in altered way', and 'in consistency aith my studies'. These errors indicate a lack of precision. While the meaning is generally clear, the vocabulary is not sufficiently sophisticated or flexible to reach a higher band. To improve, focus on learning common collocations and ensuring that your word choices are natural and contextually appropriate for a formal business letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('classes starts'), missing articles, and incorrect preposition usage ('in aim to', 'in consistency aith'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with several run-on sentences and a lack of proper capitalization for 'I'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to distract the reader. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed accurately without losing clarity.

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

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