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 Sir,

I'm writing this letter to request you to reduce my working hours from 40 to 20 hours a week. Recently, I have enrolled in a new course which further enhance my knowledge and expertise in the field. My course will starts from the next month. Therefore, in the next month I would like to work as a part time employee.

I have my lecture schedule. I'm available to work on Wednesday and Sunday. Since for the remaining days, I have a lectures and laboratories. For Wednesday & Sunday, I prefer to work in the afternoon shift since in the morning I will go to the library.

I have enrolled in a Master's program which will be completed in the 16 months. This course will helps me to strength my knowledge and even helps me to utilize at our workplace. I know the importance of PLC programming at our workplace. I'm excited to study this skill in this program which further assists me to optimize the coding skill.

I hope you understand my situation and convert me into part time employee as per my given availabilities.

Best Regards,

Ram Patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly state the reason for the request (enrolling in a Master's program), specify the desired hours (Wednesday and Sunday afternoons), and explain the benefits to your employer (improving PLC programming and coding skills). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a boss. To improve, ensure that the connection between your studies and the workplace is even more explicit; for example, you could mention how a specific project might benefit from your new skills. Overall, the response is well-focused and addresses the task requirements effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into distinct paragraphs, each serving a clear purpose. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Therefore', 'Since', and 'I hope', which help the flow of ideas. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the sentence structure within paragraphs could be more varied to improve the overall progression. For instance, the second paragraph relies heavily on simple sentence structures. Using a wider range of linking words or phrases to connect your ideas more fluidly would elevate the coherence of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'enrolled', 'expertise', 'laboratories', and 'optimize'. There are some minor errors in word choice and form, such as 'further enhance' (should be 'further enhances' or 'will further enhance') and 'strength my knowledge' (should be 'strengthen'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your message clearly, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band. Incorporating more sophisticated collocations related to professional development would improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'my course will starts' (should be 'will start'), 'I have a lectures' (should be 'I have lectures'), and 'this course will helps' (should be 'will help'). These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable but do not impede the reader's understanding of your request. To reach a higher band, focus on subject-verb agreement and article usage, and try to incorporate more complex sentence forms with greater accuracy.

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

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