Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear John,

The purpose of my writing today is to express my interest in restart my part time study therefore I need to adjust my working hours.

To commence with, recently I decided to get enroll in university and start my part time course again. However, permission was granted by University of Waterloo for turn my Civil engineering course in part time although this course was full time initially. As a result, I can easily focus on my ongoing job and study too.

Considering the working hours, my classes would be on Monday to Friday 8 AM to 12PM, however, I am available to work after 12AM onwards might be helpful for both of us because I will able to focus on my job after 12AM to end of the day.

My upcoming course is on Construction estimator and my role is also same in office therefore is course would not only help me to gain more technical skills but it also will help our company to secure more complex and technical projects.

Looking forward to hear your response on this matter.

Sincerely,

Yash Kacha

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly explained your motivation for reducing hours, specified the requested schedule, and articulated the benefits to your employer. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a manager. To reach a higher band, ensure your ideas are fully developed; for instance, you could elaborate slightly more on how the specific technical skills from your course will directly translate into solving the complex projects you mentioned. Overall, the purpose of the letter is clear and the requirements are met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter follows a logical structure with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph focuses on a distinct point, which helps the reader follow your argument easily. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'However', and 'As a result'. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. To improve, try to vary your linking phrases and ensure that the flow between sentences is smoother. For example, the transition between your study schedule and your availability could be more naturally integrated to improve the overall cohesion of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using relevant terms like 'technical skills', 'complex projects', and 'adjust my working hours'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'get enroll' (should be 'enrolled') and 'role is also same' (should be 'role is the same'). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise control over common collocations. Expanding your vocabulary to include more professional, nuanced expressions would help elevate your writing to a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is good. However, there are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'interest in restart' (should be 'interest in restarting'), 'turn my Civil engineering course in part time' (should be 'turn my Civil engineering course into a part-time one'), and 'I will able to' (should be 'I will be able to'). These errors occur frequently enough to be noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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