Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

Dear sir/Madam

I am writing to request you to reduce my working hours, so i can pursue my part-time education in Machine Learning program. which will begin next month.

I have decided to continue my studies in machine learning diploma, in order to improve my knowledge and skills for new advance technology and equipment. By acquiring such wisdom, will help me to perform my current responsibilities more efficiently and prepare me for greater opportunities within the company in the future.

I would like to reduce my working schedule from 40 hours to 30 hours per week. If possible, i would like to work from 8 A.M. to 12 P.M., Monday to Friday. As my classes are held around 2P.M. In addition, i would be happy to do extra hours whenever company required.

The practical skills and wisdom i will learn from this diploma with directly benefits the company. In this studies i will learn new modern technologies, problem-solving and how to maintain the equipment in good condition. Moreover, i can implement all these skills in my daily work place. I am confident that this will improve my productivity and enable me to contribute more in progress and success of this cooperation.

I would greatly appreciate your consideration of my request.

Yours faithfully

Sandy

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly explain the reason for the request (pursuing a Machine Learning diploma), specify the desired working hours (8 A.M. to 12 P.M., Monday to Friday), and describe the benefits to the employer, such as improved productivity and technical skills. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a supervisor. The ideas are well-developed and the purpose of the letter is clear from the beginning. You have fully satisfied the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the request, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'Moreover', and 'Therefore' (implied) to link your points. However, some transitions could be more sophisticated to improve the flow. For instance, the transition between the second and third paragraphs is slightly abrupt. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate, and the information is presented in a coherent manner that is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using topic-specific terms like 'Machine Learning diploma', 'responsibilities', and 'productivity'. There are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'acquiring such wisdom' (wisdom is usually reserved for deep life experience rather than technical skills) and 'in progress and success of this cooperation' (cooperation is an action; the word you likely intended was 'company'). Despite these minor inaccuracies, the meaning is always clear, and the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your message effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the message is clear, there are several grammatical errors, particularly with capitalization (e.g., 'i' instead of 'I'), subject-verb agreement ('will help me' should be 'which will help me'), and punctuation. For example, 'By acquiring such wisdom, will help me' is grammatically incorrect as it lacks a clear subject. Additionally, some sentence fragments occur, such as 'which will begin next month.' Despite these errors, the communication is not impeded, and you show an attempt to use more complex sentence forms.

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

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