Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-25

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 5.5)

Dear manager,

I am writing this letter to inform you that from next week i will be reducing the number of hours at my work.

I am reducing my working hours because i will be doing a business marketing course at Niagara College from next week. Starting from next week. I will be available on weekends and holidays.

This Course material will help both of us to increase the sale at our convenience store. I will be able to learn the new marketing strategies as Niagara College focus on the newly tested and performed method in their teaching.

While study over their and working part time i can manage my studies and work. It will give me a better work-life balance. As results i can focus on both thing at a same time and it will be beneficial for both of us.

Thanks for understanding this matter.

vishal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter covers all three bullet points: the reason for the request, the proposed hours, and the benefits to the employer. However, the response is slightly under the 150-word minimum, which negatively impacts the development of ideas. The explanation of how the marketing course benefits the employer is somewhat generic and could have been expanded with more specific examples of how the skills would be applied to the convenience store. Additionally, the tone is slightly informal for a letter to a manager, and the lack of a formal closing (e.g., 'Yours sincerely') is a minor omission in terms of standard letter-writing conventions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into short paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited and sometimes repetitive. For example, the phrase 'Starting from next week' is used twice in close proximity, and the transition between the study plans and the benefits to the employer is abrupt. The flow of ideas is generally logical, but the lack of varied linking words makes the writing feel a bit mechanical. Improving the use of transition signals would help the ideas connect more smoothly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks range and precision. Phrases like 'doing a business marketing course' and 'increase the sale' are functional but basic. There are also some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'study over their' (should be 'studying there') and 'focus on both thing' (should be 'things'). To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more sophisticated collocations related to professional requests and business benefits, such as 'professional development' or 'operational efficiency'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including issues with capitalization ('i' instead of 'I'), subject-verb agreement, and sentence structure. For instance, 'As results i can focus' should be 'As a result, I can focus'. The sentence structures are mostly simple, with limited attempts at complex sentences. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors—particularly the failure to capitalize the personal pronoun 'I'—is distracting and indicates a lack of control over basic grammatical conventions.

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