Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Dear Sir,

I am writing this latter to request you that i would like to deduct my working hours on week days.

I Mahek Patel, employ of your wembley branch and my working hours are 1 to 9 due to this i am not consume my time for my study that i realized recently when my prilims exam result declared. So, now i am very much clear about my goal and i want to give my maximum time and efforts to it. On the other hand, this job gives me a lot since i have been shifted here, so i definitely do not loose it but just want to focus on my studies. I would like to work on 4 to 8 pm on week days because of this i also spare some time for studies.

I hope you can understand that this is not easy for me to take this decision. If i can complete this course than it will surely benefit for our company because i will be aware of the trending things and how to attract new consumers.

Hoping for your positive reply.

Yours sincerely,

Mahek Patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt: explaining the reason for the request, specifying the desired hours, and describing the benefits to the employer. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation of how your studies would benefit the company is quite brief and could be expanded with more specific details about the skills you are acquiring. Despite this, the purpose of the letter is clear, and the reader understands your request and the justification behind it, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your request. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'On the other hand' and 'because of this', to link ideas. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or misused, such as 'due to this i am not consume my time'. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. While the overall arrangement is coherent, the use of cohesive devices is not always flexible or accurate, which is consistent with the Band 6.0 descriptor.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message, such as 'request', 'efforts', and 'trending things'. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'deduct my working hours' (instead of 'reduce'), 'employ of your wembley branch' (instead of 'employee'), and 'not consume my time' (instead of 'cannot dedicate time'). These errors are noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding your intent. To reach a higher band, you should focus on more precise collocations and standard business terminology.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('result declared'), incorrect verb forms ('i am not consume'), and punctuation errors (missing commas and capitalization of 'i'). While you can communicate your meaning, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence construction limits your score. To improve, focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed with correct verb tenses and auxiliary verbs.

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

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