Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-16

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)

Task-1

Dear Sir,

I am writing this letter to Working as a part - time in manner to study part time. As a full time employe in your company. It was such a wonderful participation. Because I need to upgrade my study skills. It became crucial to reduce my hours of working. And My preference would be taking part in completion of office tasks is Morning from 9:00am to 3:00pm. And my schedule for classes will be in the evening.

It is bit difficult being a half day worker but thls is the of official requirement to increase my further knowledge. As this coursework is related to company projects. That can help the Company to grow in every Sector. All of the focus is on the practicum that follows farther research and experience. Moving forward, i am joining my classes on upcoming Monday.

I hope you will follow up.

Thanks.

Sonia.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the reason for the request, the preferred hours, and the benefits to the employer. However, the development of these ideas is quite limited. The explanation of why the studies would benefit the company is vague, stating only that it is 'related to company projects' without specifying how. The tone is also somewhat inconsistent for a formal request to a manager, appearing more like a series of fragmented statements rather than a cohesive professional letter. To improve, you should expand on the specific skills you will gain and how they will directly contribute to your team's productivity.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter is divided into paragraphs, but the logical flow between sentences is weak. Many sentences are short and choppy, such as 'And My preference would be...' and 'Moving forward, i am joining my classes...'. The use of cohesive devices is minimal and sometimes inaccurate, such as starting sentences with 'And' or 'As'. The transition between the request for hours and the benefits to the company is abrupt. Improving the use of linking words like 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'in addition' would help create a smoother progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is basic and often misused, which hinders the professional tone required for this task. For example, 'wonderful participation' is an unnatural collocation in this context, and 'half day worker' is not the standard way to describe a part-time employee. There are also issues with word choice, such as 'practicum' and 'farther research', which do not fit the context of the letter. To reach a higher band, you should focus on using more precise professional vocabulary related to employment and academic study.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that impede readability. Many sentences are incomplete or lack proper structure, such as 'I am writing this letter to Working as a part - time in manner to study part time.' There are also consistent issues with capitalization (e.g., 'My', 'Sector', 'Company') and punctuation. The range of structures is very limited, consisting mostly of simple sentences. To improve, you need to work on basic sentence construction, subject-verb agreement, and ensuring that your sentences are complete thoughts rather than fragments.

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

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