Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Dear Sir,

I am writing to request you to reduce my working hours because I am thinking to studying as part time and I would be available on weekends from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm. I will be studying bachelors of business study to know more about businesses how it works and to learn the strategies this will help me more to work on my self to improve as soon as possible to achieve companies goal or target.

Moreover after completing my studies I would like to work again as full time with full confidence after gaining the information. As I am more keen towards my work I will take care of that I will not let you down I will gave me best towards this company and I hope in future I get chance to change my schdule . In addition if I will be on part time may be some of my team mate get a chance to show his or her talent and abilty to work and I look forward to your reply .

Thank you

Pratibha Kamboj

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: explaining the reason for the request, specifying the desired hours, and describing the benefits to the employer. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation of how your studies will benefit the company is quite vague, mentioning only 'strategies' and 'achieving goals' without specific detail. To reach a higher band, you should expand on how your specific business studies will directly translate into improved performance or value for your current role. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, though the structure could be more professional.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your points. You use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover' and 'In addition' to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes disjointed due to grammatical errors and run-on sentences. For example, the second paragraph contains several ideas joined together without clear punctuation, which makes the progression of thought feel a bit mechanical. Improving your use of punctuation and transition words would help the ideas connect more naturally and improve the overall readability of your letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your request clearly. You use some relevant terms like 'working hours', 'part-time', and 'strategies'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and awkward phrasing, such as 'thinking to studying' instead of 'thinking of studying' and 'bachelors of business study' instead of 'a Bachelor of Business degree'. There is also some repetition of basic words. To improve, try to incorporate more precise professional vocabulary and ensure that your collocations are accurate to convey your message with greater sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow of your writing. Issues include incorrect verb forms ('thinking to studying'), subject-verb agreement errors ('some of my team mate get'), and punctuation mistakes, particularly the lack of full stops to separate independent clauses. These errors are noticeable throughout the text. To achieve a higher score, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, ensuring correct tense usage, and using punctuation to clearly separate your ideas.

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

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