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 Manager,

I am writing this letter to inform you regarding my working condition. As earlier I was working full time in your company, but their are certain changes in my working hours

because I decided to persuade by bachelor's degree for my better future. I will be available part time from 1 September 2026. I can work on weekends and week days usually on Monday, Wednesday, Friday at any time. Its my honour to let you know that my degree will in meeting the companies requirements like maintenance of project schedule, how to keep the companies project under budget and protect business from upcoming risk. The most important part of my studies would be improving team work, leadership, goo communication skills, how to build good relationship with stakeholders, investors and shareholders in order to meet the business organizational goals. Not only, help in making profit but also, support in decision making process. All an all, I am looking forward to hear from you.

Your faithfully,

Arsh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points of the prompt: the reason for the request, the specific hours desired, and the benefits to the employer. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter to a manager. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive, particularly in the section regarding the benefits of the degree. While the purpose is clear, the explanation of how the studies will benefit the employer is a list of buzzwords rather than a cohesive argument. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific examples of how your new skills would be applied to your current role.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized into a single block of text, which makes it difficult to follow. A formal letter should be structured with clear paragraph breaks for each main point (introduction, reason, hours, benefits, and closing). While there are some cohesive devices used, such as 'Not only... but also' and 'All in all', the flow is hindered by the lack of paragraphing and some awkward transitions between sentences. Improving the logical structure through paragraphing would significantly enhance the readability and coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'stakeholders', 'investors', and 'decision making process'. However, there are several instances of incorrect word choice and spelling errors that detract from the quality of the writing. For example, you used 'persuade' instead of 'pursue', 'goo' instead of 'good', and 'their' instead of 'there'. These errors are noticeable and occasionally impede the flow of the text. To improve, focus on proofreading for common spelling mistakes and ensuring that the words you choose are used in the correct context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('my degree will in meeting'), incorrect preposition usage, and punctuation errors. For instance, the sentence 'Not only, help in making profit but also, support in decision making process' is grammatically fragmented and lacks a clear subject. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. You should focus on basic sentence construction and ensure that every sentence has a clear subject and verb.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.