Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-18

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 4.5)

Hello sir ,

I m Charmi patel , i hope you are good . I would like to say I want to reduce My working hours Because of I want to do part time studies so I request you if you have possible to Reduce my hours so you will reduce.

I would like to work for morning duty so I can read properly i hope you understand me .

My part time studies would benefit for employer improve my knowledge and increments in salary so I want to do study in part time .

I hope you are accept my later and hopefully you understand me thank you .

You faithfully

Charmi patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response 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 very limited. The explanation of benefits is vague, focusing on personal gain ('increments in salary') rather than professional value to the company. Furthermore, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum, which severely limits the depth of the response and results in a penalty for task achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter lacks a clear structure. While there is a basic attempt at paragraphing, the sentences are disjointed and lack logical flow. There is a lack of cohesive devices to link ideas, making the text feel like a series of fragmented statements rather than a coherent letter. The opening and closing are also not standard for a formal letter, which affects the overall progression of the message.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is very basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'I want to' and 'I hope you' are used repeatedly. There is little attempt to use formal or business-appropriate language suitable for a request to an employer. Some word choices are inaccurate, such as 'increments in salary' as a benefit to the employer, which is logically incorrect in this context. The range is insufficient to express ideas with precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5

The response contains frequent grammatical errors, including issues with capitalization ('I m', 'Charmi patel'), punctuation, and sentence structure. Many sentences are run-on or lack proper conjunctions, such as 'Because of I want to do'. Subject-verb agreement and word order are also problematic throughout. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors makes the writing appear unprofessional and difficult to read.

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

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