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/madam

Hope you are doing well.

I am writing to request you for reduction of work hours to help me perusing part-time studies. I want to continue my education with a business management course. I am sure this will also help to enhance my professional skills.

As you know, I am working with you from 9 am to 5:30 pm Monday to Friday. I would love if you can understand me and reduce my hours to 9am to 4:00 pm. It will help me a lot to attend my classes without any distractions. Moreover, I can also accomplish my work responsibilities in the same time.

I believe my part-time studies can also benefits the company. I believe my part time study will help me to learn professional skills. After completing my studies I can be able to solve problems more efficiently, can also develop more ideas, maybe in future I can hold some more work responsibilities. I can bring more up to date knowledge to work.

I hope you can help to solve my problem. I also promise you that my reduced hour will not put any negative impact on my work.

Thank you for your consideration.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task. You clearly explained the reason for your request (pursuing a business management course), specified the desired hours (9 am to 4:00 pm), and outlined the benefits to your employer. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a supervisor. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments regarding the benefits to the employer are more specific; for example, instead of saying you will 'learn professional skills,' you could mention how specific management techniques will help you streamline office operations or improve team productivity.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover' and 'After completing my studies,' which help the flow of ideas. However, the transition between the second and third paragraph could be smoother. Additionally, some sentences are slightly repetitive, such as the opening of the third paragraph, which repeats the idea of the second. Improving the variety of linking words would enhance the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using words like 'accomplish,' 'responsibilities,' and 'efficiently.' However, there are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'perusing' (which means reading carefully) instead of 'pursuing' (following/studying), and 'benefits' used as a verb where it should be 'benefit.' To improve, try to incorporate more precise business-related terminology to show a wider range of vocabulary suitable for a professional context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'I am writing to request you for reduction' (should be 'a reduction'), 'I can be able to' (redundant; use 'I will be able to'), and 'my reduced hour' (should be 'hours'). Punctuation is generally fine, but there are some minor issues with article usage. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of modal verbs will help you achieve a higher score.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.