Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-26

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 5.0)

dear sir,

i hope you are doing well , i want to inform you that I want to focus on my study is it possible if i can work on weekends instead of weekdays because next week my exam will be coming that is why i need to focuse on my study and get good marks in my exams therefore , i will be only avaliable on weekends for working 24 hours . so could you please accept my letter and make my scadule on weekend

your fathfully ,

kirandeep kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, reaching only 91 words. While you have addressed the three bullet points—explaining the need to study, specifying weekend hours, and mentioning the benefit to the employer—the development is extremely limited. The explanation of how your studies would benefit the employer is particularly underdeveloped, as you only mention wanting to get good marks. To achieve a higher score, you must expand on your ideas, provide more context, and ensure the letter is of sufficient length to fully address the prompt requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter lacks a clear structure. It is written as a single, short paragraph rather than using appropriate paragraphing to separate the different points requested in the prompt. There is a lack of cohesive devices; the text relies on simple conjunctions like 'and' or 'so' to link ideas. The progression of ideas is somewhat disjointed, and the overall layout does not follow the standard conventions of a formal letter, which impacts the clarity and flow of the communication.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is very basic and repetitive. You use simple terms such as 'good marks', 'work', and 'study' throughout the text. There are also several spelling errors, such as 'avaliable' instead of 'available', 'scadule' instead of 'schedule', and 'fathfully' instead of 'faithfully'. The range of vocabulary is insufficient to demonstrate the flexibility required for higher band scores. To improve, you should aim to use more precise, formal vocabulary suitable for a professional request to an employer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The grammar is characterized by frequent errors in sentence structure, punctuation, and capitalization. For example, the text lacks proper sentence boundaries, using commas where periods should be, and there is inconsistent capitalization of 'I'. The sentence structures are mostly simple, and there is a lack of complex grammatical forms. Errors such as 'my exam will be coming' and 'make my scadule on weekend' indicate a limited control over English grammar. Improving sentence variety and proofreading for basic errors is essential.

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

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