Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

DEAR SIR/MAM,

I WANT TO KEEP YOUR TATTBETION TOWRDAS MY CONCERN AS YOU KNOW I AM DOING MY PART TIME STUDIES SO I CAN NOT WORK FULL TIME AS IT AFFECTING MY STUIDES. SO I WANT YOU TO REDUCE MY WORKING HOURS SO I CAN PUT MORE ATTENTION TOWRADS MY STUDIES AND GET BENEFIT THORUGH IT. THIS WILL ALSO HELP ME IN THE FUTURE. AS I HAVE ALL THE CLASSES IN THE MRONING SO I CAN COME TO WORK FROM AFTERNOONS AND STAY UNTIL NIGHTS. THE WAY I WILL GAIN KNOWLEDGE FROM MY STUDIES WLL BE BEMFICIAL FOR MY WORK TOO. BECAUSE IT HELPS ME TO LEARN FOCUS, PATIENCE, MULTITAKSER, PROBLEM - SOLVING THAT WE NEED TO USE SOMETIMES IN THE WORKPLACE DIURING HECTIC SCHEDULES AND TROUBLES

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: explaining the reason for the request, specifying the desired hours, and describing the benefits to the employer. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum, which limits the development of ideas. The tone is also inappropriate for a formal letter to a boss; the use of all-caps throughout is unprofessional and does not meet the expected register for a formal request. To improve, you must expand on your points with more detail and ensure the tone is polite and professional.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter lacks paragraphing, which is essential for organizing ideas in a formal letter. The flow of ideas is somewhat disjointed because there are no clear transitions between the explanation of your studies, the proposed schedule, and the benefits to the company. While the sequence of information is logical, the lack of cohesive devices and the absence of paragraph breaks make the text difficult to follow. You should use clear paragraph breaks to separate your introduction, the request, and the concluding benefits.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive. There are several spelling errors, such as 'TATTBETION' (attention), 'TOWRADS' (towards), 'STUIDES' (studies), 'MRONING' (morning), and 'BEMFICIAL' (beneficial). Furthermore, the phrase 'MULTITAKSER' is used incorrectly as a noun to describe a skill. The range of vocabulary is insufficient to express your ideas with precision. You should focus on learning standard spelling and using more formal, professional terminology suitable for a workplace request.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The grammar is weak, with frequent errors in sentence structure and punctuation. The entire text is written in one long, run-on block, and the lack of proper capitalization (using all-caps) is a significant issue. There are also errors in subject-verb agreement and preposition usage, such as 'IT AFFECTING MY STUIDES' (it is affecting) and 'FROM AFTERNOONS' (in the afternoons). The sentence structures are mostly simple, and the lack of punctuation makes it difficult to identify individual sentences.

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

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