Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-23

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)

Hello Mr. Talwinder,

I am writing this letter about to decrease my working time.

I hope you are doing well. I want to let you know that, next month I am going to start my school for short term course. Due to that, I am unable to work full time.

I will have classes from Monday to Thursday, so I would like to work on weekend in morning, or evening shift.

I am happy to let you know that, my study will be beneficial for our clinic. I am going to do Nursing Assistant course from University of Toronto. I will get practical knowledge during my internship which will help me to gain new skills. I would be able to assist all the nurses in different wards after finishing my studies.

I know changing working hours need some adjustments, I am ready to cooperate some shifts in first few days of starting my school.

Yours sincerly,

Mandeep Kaur.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points of the prompt: the reason for the request, the preferred hours, and the benefits to the employer. The tone is appropriate for a formal request to a manager. However, the development of the ideas is somewhat basic. For instance, while you mention the Nursing Assistant course, explaining how your specific new skills would directly improve clinic efficiency would have provided a more persuasive argument. The purpose of the letter is clear, and the reader is left in no doubt about your intentions, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into distinct paragraphs, each serving a clear purpose. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Due to that' and 'I am happy to let you know that' to link ideas. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. The paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. To reach a higher band, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that the flow between sentences is smoother and less predictable.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You use a sufficient range of vocabulary to communicate your request clearly. Phrases like 'practical knowledge' and 'internship' are relevant to the context. However, there are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'start my school' (should be 'start a course') and 'cooperate some shifts' (should be 'cover some shifts'). The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Expanding your range of professional collocations would help improve your score in this area.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical inaccuracies. For example, 'I am writing this letter about to decrease' is awkward, and 'changing working hours need some adjustments' contains a subject-verb agreement error ('needs'). Additionally, there are minor punctuation issues, such as the comma usage after 'Due to that'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and sentence structure variety will be beneficial.

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

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