Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to request you to reduce my working hours for the next 6 months. The reason behind my request is because I recently joined advanced english course to improve my interpersonal skills.

As you are already aware of schedule that I am working full time with open availability. Unfortunately, I would not be able to work full-time for next 6 months. Since, my advanced English course provided me the schedule with classes starting from 3pm to 7 pm, and currently o work any shifts. For few months, I would request you to schedule me in the morning basically 6am -2 pm shifts, I believe these shifts would be perfect fit for me in order to attend my classes. Consequently, if I left work at 2pm, it not only provides me sufficient time to reach to my course centre but also helps me to relax a bit after work.

Fortunately, joining this course not only benefits me by boosting my confidence while communicating with customers efficiently but also helps our company to gain productivity. As a result, if my communication skills are improved I would be significantly able to dispute customers complaints in a more effective way, which will improves our customer rating and thereby attracting more customers.

I would be grateful if you consider my request into recommendation.

I will look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully,

Rashim

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly explained the reason for your request (the English course), specified the desired working hours (6 am–2 pm), and articulated how your studies would benefit the employer (improved communication and customer service). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a supervisor. The ideas are relevant and well-developed, ensuring the reader understands your situation and the potential value you bring to the company. To reach a higher band, ensure that your explanations are slightly more concise to avoid minor repetition, but overall, the task requirements are fully met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a formal closing. You use cohesive devices such as 'consequently,' 'as a result,' and 'fortunately' to link your ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. For instance, the use of 'not only... but also' appears twice in close proximity, which affects the flow. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different requirements of the task. To improve, try to vary your linking words and ensure that the progression between sentences feels more natural rather than relying on a standard template of connectors.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'interpersonal skills,' 'productivity,' and 'effectively.' There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'dispute customers complaints' (which should be 'handle' or 'resolve') and 'consider my request into recommendation' (which is non-standard phrasing). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise collocation. Expanding your vocabulary to include more professional business-related collocations would help you achieve a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'I recently joined advanced english course' (missing article 'an'), 'o work any shifts' (typo), and 'which will improves' (subject-verb agreement error). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some issues with comma usage and sentence fragments. The errors are frequent enough to be noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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