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/Madam,

I am writing this letter that request to you that i want to reduce my working hours because of my study.

Firstly, i want to reduce my working hours, as I do not concentrate on my study as well as work. Also, there is lots of work and study stress on my mind and I do not give the time to my parents and I want to manage my all things.

Moreover, i request you give me three day work as part-time and 6 hours a day. Because it is good for me to balance my work and study.

Furthermore, if I work part-time it will beneficial for my work because i will proper concentrate on my work and there is no change of any mistake. I promise to you i pay all my anergy to your company.

I hope you hear from you soon.

Kind regards,

Akash singh.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt: the reason for the request, the preferred hours, and the benefits to the employer. However, the development of these ideas is limited. For example, the explanation of how the studies will benefit the employer is quite vague, stating only that you will 'proper concentrate' on work. To achieve a higher band, you should provide more specific details about how your new skills or knowledge will add value to the company. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, though the structure is somewhat simplistic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some basic cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'Moreover', and 'Furthermore'. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed, and the use of these linking words feels a bit mechanical. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'I do not give the time to my parents and I want to manage my all things', which does not connect logically to the previous point about work stress. Improving the flow between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. There are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'I do not concentrate on my study as well as work' and 'there is no change of any mistake'. The phrase 'I pay all my anergy' contains a spelling error and is not a natural collocation. To improve, you should focus on using more precise vocabulary related to professional requests and workplace benefits, and pay closer attention to word forms and spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response relies heavily on simple sentence structures. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including issues with subject-verb agreement ('I am writing this letter that request'), article usage, and sentence fragments. For example, 'I hope you hear from you soon' is grammatically incorrect. While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar and sentence construction hinder the fluency of the writing. You should aim to practice more complex sentence structures and proofread carefully to correct basic errors in tense and word order.

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

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