Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-24

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 Mr. Smith,

I am writing this letter to request you regarding the reduction of working hours for me as I have decided to continue my studies along with this job.

As you already know that I have completed my Masters in Technology before I joined your company and was in my first year of PhD. I left the studies as my family needs my help because we had loss in our business and to overcome from that situation, I scarified myself and start doing this job. As everything is now back to normal and our family business is running same as before, now I have decided to complete my leftover studies so I want to reduce 4 hours every day as I need to go to college. I would be back to college by 2 PM and afterwards I will come to factory and complete the work.

As I will be doing research in field of data analytics, I am sure my studies will help the company to grow as I will it as a reference which means the lacking's hidden so far will appear and there will be profit for the company.

I would make sure that my work will not suffer and also beneficial for the company.

Yours sincerely,

Shaun

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt: explaining the reason for the request, specifying the hours, and describing the benefits to the employer. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat uneven. The explanation regarding your family business is quite detailed, but the description of how your studies will benefit the employer is vague and lacks specific examples of how data analytics will be applied to your current role. To improve, ensure that the connection between your academic research and the company's specific needs is more clearly articulated to make a more persuasive case to your boss.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical structure with a clear opening and closing. Paragraphing is used to separate the introduction, the background, the request, and the benefits. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes hindered by awkward phrasing, such as 'As you already know that I have completed...' and 'As everything is now back to normal'. The use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical, and some transitions feel repetitive. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between your personal background and your professional request would enhance the overall coherence of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message, but there are several instances of imprecise word choice and awkward collocations. For example, 'overcome from that situation' should be 'overcome that situation', and 'scarified myself' is likely a misuse of 'sacrificed'. Additionally, 'lacking's hidden so far' is grammatically and lexically unclear. While your meaning is generally understood, the lack of precision and some errors in word formation prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on more natural collocations and accurate word forms will help improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Issues include incorrect verb tenses ('start doing this job' instead of 'started'), missing articles, and awkward sentence construction ('I am writing this letter to request you regarding the reduction...'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions. Proofreading for basic sentence structure errors would 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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