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 sir,

Hope yo are doing well , i am writing this letter to request yo to alleviate my work hours due to my part time study. well , from so long i am thinking to do study in project management course as it is very essential skills and part of my work so , enrolled , however , i came to know that i have to attain college two days in a week.

My schedule for college is Monday and Tuesday of week , so i will be only available for Wednesday , Thursday and Friday for full day.

well, project management is a vary important skill for our work as we often present our project to client , therefore once i learned it will be beneficial for our office. I am begging your apology for inconvenience but same time i make sure once my study will finish i will continue my full time work.

your faithfully

Naznin

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the reason for the request, the specific hours required, and the benefits to the employer. However, the development of these points is somewhat limited. The explanation of the benefits to the employer is brief and lacks detail. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, although the opening 'Dear sir' and the closing 'your faithfully' are slightly informal or contain minor errors. To improve, you should expand on how the project management skills will specifically help your team or company, providing more depth to your arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of ideas. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and limited. Phrases like 'well' are used informally and repetitively as fillers rather than as effective transition markers. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'in addition'). Paragraphing is present, but the structure within the paragraphs feels a bit disjointed due to the lack of sophisticated connectors.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of word-choice errors, such as 'alleviate my work hours' (reduce/shorten would be more natural) and 'attain college' (attend college). The phrase 'very essential skills' is redundant, as 'essential' already implies a high degree of importance. While the meaning is clear, the range of vocabulary is limited to basic, everyday language. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise collocations and avoid repetitive or informal fillers like 'well'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including issues with subject-verb agreement ('i am writing', 'i have to attain'), punctuation (missing commas, incorrect capitalization of 'i'), and sentence structure. For example, 'from so long i am thinking to do study' is grammatically incorrect and should be 'I have been thinking about studying for a long time'. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic structures prevents the text from reaching a higher band. You should focus on mastering basic sentence construction, verb tenses, and consistent capitalization.

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

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