Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear miss sheena

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this to request you to reduce my working hours from next month.

Recently i joined college to complete my post graduation studies in clinical kinesiology. My college will start from September and will end in next year april. It will be 8 month part time course.

My classes will be starting from 8th September from Monday to Thursday and timing will be 9 am to 2 pm . So i will be available in the evenings from 3 pm to 8 pm and on weekends i will be fully available for work.

In kinesiology i will learn in detail about anatomy and exercise physiology which will help me to understand better about the exercises and help you better with the patients and reducing your work laod.

I look forward to your response.

Your sincerely

Tanya

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter covers all three bullet points: explaining the reason for the request, specifying the desired hours, and describing the benefits to the employer. However, the response is slightly under the 150-word minimum, which impacts the development of ideas. While the purpose is clear, the explanation of how the studies benefit the employer is somewhat brief and could have been expanded to show a more professional tone. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter to a supervisor, though the opening and closing salutations are slightly informal.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, with each bullet point addressed in a separate section. This makes the letter easy to follow. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited. The transitions between sentences are somewhat mechanical, and there is a lack of varied linking words to connect ideas more fluidly. For example, the transition between the schedule and the benefits could be improved with better signposting. Paragraphing is present, but the overall flow feels a bit disjointed due to the simple sentence structures.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and sophistication. You use basic terms like 'joined college' and 'start from', which are functional but not particularly professional. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'work laod' (spelling) and 'next year april' (awkward phrasing). To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise professional terminology related to workplace requests and academic study, such as 'professional development' or 'flexible working arrangement'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The letter contains a mix of simple and some complex sentences, but there are frequent errors in punctuation and capitalization. For instance, 'i' is consistently written in lowercase, and 'miss sheena' should be capitalized. There are also minor grammatical slips, such as 'will be 8 month part time course' (missing article 'an') and 'timing will be' (should be 'the timing'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the message, they occur frequently enough to limit the score. More attention to proofreading for basic grammar and capitalization is needed.

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

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