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 am writing this letter to request you to reduce my working hours since I want to study part.

Although I have completed my Master's degree in finance, I am planning to crack the LLQP exam due to which I want to enroll myself for part time education. The completion of the course take 1200 hours of study owing to which I would urge you to decrease my working hours.

As per my time table of the course my lectures will be delivered in the morning. The timing of the class will be from 8 a.m. till 12p.m. and it will be conducted from Monday to Thursday. I will be willing to work from Monday to Saturday from 3p.m till 12p.m.

Since LLQP exam is a certification necessary to provide insurance to the public, I will be flexible to handle insurance department in the bank. This part time course will not only help our bank to attract more insurance clients but also build stronger connections.

I hope you would co-operate to reduce my working hours for the holistic success of the company.

kind regards,

Jasnoor Kaur.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points of the prompt effectively. You clearly explained your motivation for studying, specified the requested working hours, and provided a logical justification for how your employer would benefit from your new qualification. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a manager. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly on the specific skills you will gain from the LLQP exam to make the benefit to the employer even more compelling and persuasive. Overall, the response is well-focused and meets the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph serves a distinct purpose, moving from the request to the schedule and finally the benefits. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'As per', and 'not only... but also' to link your ideas. However, the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect sentences more fluidly. The paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter, and the overall structure is easy to follow, ensuring the reader understands your request without difficulty.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'certification', 'holistic', and 'co-operate'. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'study part' (should be 'study part-time') and 'crack the LLQP exam' (which is slightly informal for a business letter). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the sophistication and precision required for higher bands. Incorporating more professional collocations related to business and employment would enhance your lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'The completion of the course take' (subject-verb agreement error: should be 'takes') and 'I will be flexible to handle insurance department' (missing article: 'the insurance department'). Additionally, '12p.m.' is technically midnight, whereas you likely meant noon. Despite these errors, the meaning is always clear, and the mistakes do not impede communication. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles in professional writing.

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

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