Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-27

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 Mr.Boss

I am writing a letter to request to reduce my working hours as I would like to pursue Phd in KNR university. So, I want to spend time on my further studies.

I would like to enhance my skills in my professional field because nowadays, huge competition is there on permanent employment; moreover, it fulfills my dream to study in Phd.Therfore, I have to study atleast 7hours per daily .

Before, my daily time was 9am to 5pm, now I would like to do these timings 7am to 1pm. I can manage according to these timings, I could explain to my patients to come early and I would treat them. Overall, I will try to maintain my work productively without distubing our hospital staff timings.

If I could finish my Phd, that would be not only enhance my skills but it also benificials to our entire hospital.

Thanking you, I really appreciate your support, and mentorship. If you could accept my request, I would be very grateful.

Yours sincerly,

Chindam Manasa

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the reason for the request, the preferred hours, and the benefits to the employer. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal request. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation of how the PhD benefits the hospital is brief and could be expanded with more specific examples of how your new skills would be applied in a clinical setting. Additionally, the phrasing 'huge competition is there on permanent employment' is slightly unnatural and distracts from the professional tone. To improve, ensure that your arguments are more fully extended to demonstrate a clear professional benefit to your employer.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your request. You use some cohesive devices such as 'moreover', 'therefore', and 'not only... but also'. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel abrupt. For example, the jump from discussing the PhD to the specific working hours could be smoother. Paragraphing is present, but the indentation is inconsistent, which affects the visual presentation of the letter. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus to enhance the overall progression of your argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using terms like 'pursue', 'enhance', and 'mentorship'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and minor errors, such as 'study in Phd' (should be 'study for a PhD'), 'benificials' (should be 'beneficial'), and 'distubing' (spelling error). The phrase 'do these timings' is also non-standard. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they limit the precision of your writing. To reach a higher band, focus on using more accurate collocations and proofreading for common spelling and grammatical errors related to word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the conditional 'If I could finish my PhD, that would be...'. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('huge competition is there') and preposition errors ('study in Phd'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing after commas and periods. While the meaning remains clear, the frequency of these errors indicates a need for more careful editing. To improve, practice identifying and correcting basic sentence structure errors and ensure that your verb tenses and prepositions are used consistently and accurately.

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

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