Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear margarett,

i hope you are doing well.i am writing to ask reduce my working hours because of my studies.

i am going to start my digital marketing course in Calgary University for 1 year so i want to reduce my hours for work.however, currently i am working 40 hours par week but i would like to decrease my hours to 22 hours per week.

Morover, i prefer to work Thursday to Saturday because my classes will be on monday to wednesday and i would also like to request for closing shifts because i can do my homework and projects for my course on time. Furthermore, My course will more beneficial for me in my job for marketing promotion and also for marketing our products though our official websites.

I hope you will understand My situation and will help me through reduce my hours for new opportunities.

Your Sincerely,

Maitri.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in 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 to a manager. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, while you mention that the course will be beneficial for marketing, you could have elaborated more on specific skills you will acquire that would directly improve the company's digital presence. The letter meets the requirements of the task, but the content is quite brief and could benefit from more professional expansion to fully persuade the employer.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your request. You use some cohesive devices such as 'however', 'moreover', and 'furthermore' to link your ideas. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and the flow between sentences is occasionally interrupted by grammatical errors. The paragraphing is functional, but the overall structure could be improved by ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and that the transition between the request for hours and the benefits to the company is smoother. The use of referencing is generally clear, though the punctuation around these devices needs attention.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message, including terms like 'digital marketing', 'official websites', and 'opportunities'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'marketing our products though our official websites' (should be 'through') and 'My course will more beneficial' (missing the verb 'be'). The vocabulary is functional but lacks the precision and variety expected at higher bands. To improve, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and ensuring that words are used in their correct grammatical context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There is a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. You frequently omit capital letters at the start of sentences and for proper nouns like 'Calgary University'. There are also persistent errors with articles and prepositions, such as 'ask reduce' (should be 'ask to reduce') and 'par week' (should be 'per week'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to distract the reader. You need to focus on basic sentence construction, subject-verb agreement, and consistent capitalization to improve your score in this area.

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

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