Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing regarding my working hours which i want to cut down because of my part time education .

As i am student i am not able to work full time because i need time for my study as well .I can only work part time . Which will be very helpful to focus on my study.

I have my classes on Monday to Thursday so i can only work on weekends from morning to evening.With that you can minimize my hours .and this will nit impact in my education.

This would gives benfits to the company such as from my study i will get knowledge and information about my jobs and other skills such as time management, problem solving, to give better ideas to increase productivity and so on which are vary important to working in a company. This will also improve my performance

Best regard

Jeenat kalsi

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt: explaining the reason for the request, specifying the desired hours, and describing the benefits to the employer. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, while you mention that your studies will provide 'knowledge and information,' you could have been more specific about how these skills directly translate to your current role to make the argument more persuasive. The letter covers the requirements, but the depth of the explanation is basic, which keeps this in the mid-range.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your request. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite mechanical and sometimes repetitive. For instance, you start sentences with 'As i am' and 'This would' frequently. There is a lack of varied linking words to connect your ideas smoothly. Additionally, the punctuation is inconsistent, particularly with the placement of periods and the lack of spacing after them (e.g., 'study as well .I can'). Improving the use of transition signals would help the flow of your writing significantly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite simple. You rely on basic terms like 'cut down,' 'very helpful,' and 'better ideas.' While these words communicate your meaning clearly, they do not demonstrate the range required for a higher band. There are also some minor errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'nit' instead of 'not' and 'vary' instead of 'very.' To improve, try to incorporate more professional, topic-specific vocabulary related to workplace requests and professional development.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You use a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Common issues include capitalization errors (e.g., 'i' instead of 'I'), subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'This would gives benfits'), and missing articles. Additionally, some sentences are fragmented or run-on, such as 'Which will be very helpful to focus on my study.' While these errors do not completely prevent the reader from understanding your message, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency and accuracy of the letter.

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

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