Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-20

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 Mr. Henry,

I hope this letter finds you well. I have recently taken up a course on time management, which requires a significant amount of time and dedication to learn. So, I would like to request you in considering reducing my working hours.

The course consists of about 10 modules that are very long and detailed, for which I believe that a great amount of dedication, will and zeal are needed to finish. At present, I am working between 9 AM and 6 PM daily. I will definitely be wanting my evening hours, especially post lunch, to study. Regarding the same, I wish to work between 9 AM and 5 PM everyday.

I can say with certainty that the lessons about the value of time shall come in of great importance as we are heavily concentrated on customer service and management, and that my learnings can save a lot of paperwork at the end of the day.

I look forward to discussing with you pertaining to this at your earliest convenience.

Kind regards,

Sean

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly explain the reason for the request (a time management course), specify the desired hours (9 AM to 5 PM), and outline the benefits to the employer (improved customer service and reduced paperwork). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a manager. To reach a higher band, you could provide more specific details about the course content or how the reduced hours would be managed to ensure your current responsibilities are still met, which would further develop your ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Regarding the same' and 'at present', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. To improve, ensure that the connection between sentences is smoother; for example, the transition between the course description and the request for hours could be more fluid to avoid a slightly disjointed feel.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'dedication', 'zeal', and 'at your earliest convenience'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in collocation and word choice. For instance, 'taken up a course' is acceptable but 'enrolled in a course' is more precise. 'I will definitely be wanting' is slightly informal and awkward in this context. Expanding your range to include more professional collocations would help elevate your score, as the current vocabulary is functional but lacks a degree of sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are some grammatical slips. For example, 'I would like to request you in considering' is grammatically incorrect; it should be 'I would like to request that you consider' or 'I would like to ask you to consider'. Additionally, there is a redundant comma in 'dedication, will and zeal'. Despite these errors, your control of grammar is generally good, and the mistakes do not impede communication. Increasing the variety of complex structures would improve this score.

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

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