Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-19

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 6.5)

Dear Rakesh Sir,

Hope you are doing well,

I am writing to inform you that I would like to pursue my further studies in the field of procurement and supply chain. To do that, I would like to request that you reduce my working hours. Currently, it is from 9:30 to 6. If you could reduce it to 5 pm, it would be appreciated.

To add to this, completing this course will provide more ideas and practical skills alongside the knowledge that I put into my work and will benefit this company as well. Having said that, this certificate gives a boost towards new projects, making connections with new clients and indirectly improving our company's image and reputation to a large extent.

All in all, completing this certification provides massive gains and a jump in the market. Besides, my level of knowledge and skills eventually increased significantly.

Therefore, it is my humble request to allow me to work till 5 pm for the part-time course.

Yours sincerely,

Dhruv Parekh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly explained your motivation for reducing hours, specified the desired schedule (leaving at 5 pm), and articulated the benefits to your employer. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a supervisor. The ideas are relevant and logically developed, though the explanation of how the studies benefit the company could be slightly more specific to your particular role to make the argument more persuasive. Overall, the response is well-focused and meets the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a formal closing. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To add to this', 'Having said that', and 'All in all' to transition between ideas. However, some of these transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different requirements of the task. The progression of ideas is easy to follow, and the purpose of the letter is clear from the beginning. To improve, try to vary your linking phrases to ensure a more natural flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'procurement', 'supply chain', and 'certification'. There is an attempt to use more sophisticated language, such as 'indirectly improving our company's image'. However, some word choices are slightly imprecise, such as 'a jump in the market' or 'my level of knowledge... eventually increased', which sounds a bit unnatural in this context. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your message clearly, incorporating more precise collocations would elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most of your sentences are clear and error-free, which ensures that communication is not impeded. There are some minor grammatical slips, such as 'Currently, it is from 9:30 to 6', where the subject 'it' is slightly ambiguous, and 'my level of knowledge and skills eventually increased', where the tense choice is slightly off given that you are talking about a future benefit. Despite these minor issues, your control over basic grammar is good, and your punctuation is generally accurate.

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

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