Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Mr. Singh,

I am writing to request you about reducing my working hours in order to manage my part-time study scheduled effectively.

I have enrolled in part-time three months crash course in Hospitality and Marketing at esteemed institute, which is going to start next month, on 30th September 2026. I need to study in detail, so, I want to give it more priority, due to that, I want to reduce hours at work place.

I would like to work only on weekends as my weekends will be off, so I would be free on these days most of the time. I am flexible to work on these days, whatever schedule is available including morning, evening and nights.

My course would be beneficial for the company as it is based on marketing. As I am going to study in the same field, that is why I can learn new marketing techniques which I can implement at my workplace. In this way, company's sale can be boosted and more and more customers can be attracted.

I hope you would understand and accept my request. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Soni.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points of the prompt effectively. You clearly explain the reason for the request (part-time study), specify the desired working hours (weekends), and describe the benefits to the employer (new marketing techniques). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a manager. To reach a higher band, ensure that your explanation of the benefits is more specific; for example, mentioning a particular skill or software you will learn would make the argument more persuasive and fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the task. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In this way' and 'As I am', though some transitions feel slightly repetitive or mechanical. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow throughout the text. To improve, try to vary your linking words and ensure that the connection between sentences is smoother, avoiding overly simplistic sentence starters.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'enrolled', 'esteemed', and 'implement'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'request you about reducing' (should be 'request a reduction in') and 'part-time three months crash course' (should be 'a three-month part-time crash course'). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on more natural collocations will help improve your score.

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 several grammatical slips, such as 'study scheduled effectively' (should be 'study schedule'), 'at esteemed institute' (missing article 'an'), and 'company's sale can be boosted' (should be 'the company's sales'). There are also some punctuation issues, such as the comma splice in the second paragraph. Increasing your control over articles and pluralization will significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.

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

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