Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-22

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 Mrs. Kathy,

I am writing to request you in reduction to my working hours. As I recently joined an advanced English part-time course to improve my communication skills.

As you may already be aware, I am looking for career growth at my workplace, which motivates me improve my interpersonal skills. Currently, in your restaurant I am working as a full-time employee with open availability. However, after joining my course, I would not be available any time with random shifts for the next six months. I would greatly appreciate it if you could accept my new part-time availability for a few months.

Fortunately, I am still available for opening shifts, such as 6 am to 2 pm. I would be grateful if you could consider me a perfect fit for these opening shifts. My course timings are from 3 pm to 7 pm 4 days a week. Having these shifts provide me a sufficient time to reach home and attend my online classes.

If I successfully complete this part-time course, it would be beneficial for both my personal and professional lives. This is mainly because by improving my communication skills, I would be more confident to communicate with guests. Consequently, our productivity will improve with more satisfied customers.

I would appreciate it if you could consider my request at your earliest convenience.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours Sincerely,

Rashim

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly explained the reason for the request (English course), specified the desired working hours (6 am to 2 pm), and articulated the benefit to the employer (improved communication with guests leading to higher productivity). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a manager. The ideas are well-developed and the purpose of the letter is clear from the outset. You have maintained a consistent professional tone throughout, which is essential for this task type.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the request, which makes the information easy to follow. You have used some cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Consequently', and 'This is mainly because', which help to link your ideas effectively. The progression of ideas is smooth, moving from the request to the specific details and finally to the benefits for the company. The paragraphing is appropriate and contributes to the overall clarity of the message.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to communicate your request clearly. Phrases like 'at your earliest convenience' and 'interpersonal skills' are well-chosen and appropriate for a professional context. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'request you in reduction to my working hours' (should be 'request a reduction in my working hours') and 'not be available any time with random shifts' (which is slightly awkward). However, these do not impede communication. You have successfully used topic-specific vocabulary related to employment and professional development.

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 some grammatical slips. For example, 'As I recently joined' is a sentence fragment, and 'Having these shifts provide me a sufficient time' should be 'provides me with sufficient time'. Additionally, 'I would be more confident to communicate' is slightly less natural than 'I would be more confident communicating'. Despite these occasional errors, your control of grammar is generally good, and the errors do not cause confusion for the reader.

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

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