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 Ali,

I am writing this letter to request you to reduce my working hours. Currently, I am performing my duties in morning shift for 8 to 10 hours 5 days of a week. Moreover, I would like to inform you that I have got an admission in master program to enhance my academical knowledge. It is a 2 years program in data management.

Therefore, I am humbly requesting you to reduce my duty hours to 6 hours only. However, I would be happy to do one extra day duty to compensate my weekly hours. Futhermore, I would similarly appreciate it if you could change my duty shift to evening time. With that, I would be able to take my lectures without any hindrance.

In addition to that, I would also like to tell you the benefits of this master program. It will give me more practical experience to manage things here in the office. It will give me more confidence to manage work properly and professionally.

I would appreciate a positive response from your side.

Yours Sincerely,

Ayaz

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 the request (pursuing a master's degree), specified the desired hours (6 hours per day with an extra day to compensate), and articulated the benefits to your employer (practical experience and improved professional management). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a supervisor. The ideas are relevant and sufficiently developed to meet the task requirements. To reach a higher band, ensure that the connection between your studies and the employer's specific needs is even more explicit, perhaps by mentioning how data management skills will directly improve office efficiency.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. You use cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Therefore', 'However', and 'In addition to that' to link your ideas. While the progression of ideas is clear, some of the transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive in their structure. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the request from the justification. To improve, try to vary your linking words and ensure that the flow between sentences feels more natural rather than relying on standard transition markers at the start of every sentence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'academical knowledge', 'hindrance', and 'compensate'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'got an admission' (should be 'been admitted to') and 'academical knowledge' (should be 'academic knowledge'). The vocabulary is functional and allows for clear communication, but it lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. Focusing on more natural collocations and avoiding slightly awkward phrasing will help elevate your score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'performing my duties in morning shift' (missing articles), 'master program' (should be 'master's program'), and 'do one extra day duty' (should be 'work an extra day'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede the reader's understanding of your request. To improve, pay closer attention to article usage (a/an/the) and ensure consistent subject-verb agreement. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures would also help demonstrate better grammatical control.

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

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