Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

Dear Sir/ mamdam,

My is Anmol deep kaur, I am employe in your company. I just want one favour from your side, I want to reduse my working hour because I am studying right now and it’s too difficult to manage all the things in limited time frame.

It also effects my studies, I cannot give my fully attention to my studies as well to job. Like, I always think about my studies when I am on my shift and think about my tasks of job when I was in class. I feel so depressed. It will also helpfull for other employees they can get more hours as compared to before and it will help me to focus on my studies. I want to switch my full time position to part time that will help me alot. I hope you will understand my situation and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Your faithfully

Ammol deep kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter addresses the main purpose, but it fails to cover all bullet points adequately. While you explain why you want to reduce hours and mention the benefit to the employer, you completely omitted the requirement to specify which hours you would like to work. This is a significant omission. Furthermore, the tone is somewhat informal and lacks the professional structure expected in a formal letter to a manager. To improve, ensure every bullet point in the prompt is addressed with specific details.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter is written as a single block of text, which makes it difficult to follow. A formal letter should be divided into clear paragraphs: an introduction, body paragraphs for each requirement, and a conclusion. There is a lack of cohesive devices to link ideas; the transition between your personal struggle and the benefit to the employer is abrupt. Using linking words like 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'in addition' would help improve the flow and logical progression of your arguments.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'I want to' and 'it will help' are used multiple times. There are also errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'Sir/ mamdam' (should be Madam), 'employe' (employee), 'reduse' (reduce), and 'helpfull' (helpful). To reach a higher band, you need to use a wider range of vocabulary related to professional requests and workplace communication, and ensure accurate spelling of common terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'My is Anmol deep kaur' (should be 'My name is...'), 'I am employe' (I am an employee), and 'I cannot give my fully attention' (full attention). The sentence structures are mostly simple, and there is a lack of complex sentence forms. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly in the opening and closing salutations. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and basic sentence construction will significantly improve your score.

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

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