Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear Sir

I am writing this letter to request you to reduce my working hours from next week.

The reason is I want to join part-time culinary course due to which i will not be able to continue with my regular hours.Firstly, I want to describe you that my studies will be really beneficial for your restaurant as i will learn learn a lot of canadian dishes in my course and we can enhance our menu over here.

Secondly,I managed my study during the weekdays as other employees will be able to manage in my absence and i will be available on weekends especially because i do understand it is the most busiest days and Friday and Thursday also. So, i want my day offs on Monday to Wednesday for next 6 months.

I hope you will understand my situation and hope for your positive response as soon as possible so that i can proceed my further requirements needed in my college.

Yours faithfully

Ashi Goyal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points of the prompt: explaining the reason for the request, specifying the desired hours, and describing the benefits to the employer. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a boss. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, the explanation of how the studies benefit the restaurant is brief and could be expanded with more detail on how these skills would specifically improve customer satisfaction or revenue. The request for specific days off is clear, but the structure of the explanation regarding the schedule is slightly confusing, particularly the mention of Thursday and Friday in relation to the requested Monday-to-Wednesday leave.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, and the progression of ideas is generally clear. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'so that' are used to link sentences and ideas. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. The paragraphing is sufficient, but the internal structure of the second paragraph is slightly cluttered, as it attempts to combine the schedule request with the justification for the absence. Improved use of referencing and clearer transitions would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate their request clearly. There are some attempts at using topic-specific vocabulary, such as 'culinary course' and 'enhance our menu'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'most busiest' (a double superlative) and 'proceed my further requirements'. The vocabulary is functional but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band score. Expanding the range of formal expressions would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'I am writing this letter to request you to reduce' (should be 'request a reduction in'), 'i will learn learn' (repetition), 'I managed my study' (should be 'I can manage my studies'), and 'it is the most busiest days' (grammatical error). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing after commas. These errors do not impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score.

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

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