Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Sir,

My name is Shabnam, dweller of Barnala. I am penning down this epistle to request you to reduce my working hours due to my studies. I want to join the computer course for six months due to which I will not be able to work for longer duration of time during the weekdays. I am working in your company from last 5 years and I want to continue working with you even during and after finishing my course.

The timings of the classes will be from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM from monday to friday so, I can attend work from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm during the weekdays and anytime during the weekends. Please allow me to join this computer course and I will finish it in 6 months only.

My part time course will be beneficial to your company because they will teach new techniques like Artificial Intelligence that will improve efficienct along with productivity of work. we can only implement these strategies by learning them from educated professional. Kindly adjust my working hours.

Waiting for positive response from your side.

Yours Sincerely,

Shabnam Sharma

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly explained the reason for the request (a computer course), specified the desired working hours (3:00 PM to 7:00 PM on weekdays), and described the benefits to the employer (AI skills and increased productivity). The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter to a boss. To reach a higher band, ensure that the opening and closing are more conventional; 'Dear Sir' is acceptable, but 'Dear Mr/Ms [Name]' is preferred if the name is known, and 'Yours sincerely' is the standard pairing for a named recipient, whereas 'Yours faithfully' is used for 'Dear Sir/Madam'.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a specific purpose. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use some cohesive devices such as 'because', 'due to which', and 'along with', which help link your ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. To improve, try to vary your linking phrases and ensure that the connection between sentences is smoother. For instance, the transition between the class timings and the request to join could be more fluid. Overall, the structure is sound and supports the message effectively.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'productivity', 'strategies', and 'beneficial'. However, there are some instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'dweller of Barnala' (which is unnatural in this context), 'penning down this epistle' (which is overly archaic and inappropriate for a business letter), and 'improve efficienct' (a spelling error). To improve, focus on using more natural, professional business English rather than overly formal or literary expressions. Aim for precision in your word choices to ensure your professional intent is clearly conveyed.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'I am working in your company from last 5 years' (should be 'have been working... for the last 5 years') and 'we can only implement these strategies by learning them from educated professional' (should be 'educated professionals'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor errors with capitalization (e.g., 'monday', 'friday'). Increasing your control over verb tenses and pluralization will help you achieve a higher score, as these errors occur frequently enough to be noticeable.

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.