Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

Dear Tom,

I am writing this letter requesting to reduce my working hours which would help me focus towards getting my part time graduate certification.

I am currently pursuing Professional Accounting Practice from Seneca college which requires 25-30 hours of study time. From past few months, I have been working more than 50 hours a week and I completely understand that it was primarily due to the tax filing deadline.

The tax filing deadline is about to end this week so, would it be fine if I start early morning from 7 am until 1 pm working around 30-35 hours commencing next week which won't disrupt the company's workflow and I'll be able to manage my part time studies as well. This certification will help me understand various costing methods which I can practically apply in our production facility and reduce the costs of our current production units.

I hope you understand my situation and approve my request.

Thanks,

Brandy

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 your request, specified your preferred working hours, and provided a logical benefit to your employer regarding cost-saving methods. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a manager. The ideas are well-developed and relevant, showing a clear purpose throughout the correspondence. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly on the specific nature of the 'costing methods' to make the benefit to the employer even more persuasive and concrete.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the task, which aids readability. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'which' and 'as well', to link ideas. However, the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. Using more varied linking words or phrases (e.g., 'Furthermore', 'Consequently', 'In addition to this') would improve the flow and help the reader follow your argument more effortlessly. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'pursuing', 'commencing', and 'disrupt'. The language is generally precise and appropriate for a professional context. There are a few minor issues with collocation, such as 'focus towards' (should be 'focus on') and 'from past few months' (should be 'for the past few months'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, incorporating more sophisticated or idiomatic professional expressions would help elevate the response to a higher band level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. For example, the sentence beginning 'This certification will help me...' is well-constructed. However, there are some grammatical slips, such as the missing article in 'from Seneca college' and the run-on structure in the third paragraph where a semicolon or a full stop would be more appropriate after 'this week'. Despite these occasional errors, your meaning is never obscured, and the punctuation is generally functional. Increasing the variety of complex structures would further strengthen this score.

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

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