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 Praveen,

I am writing this letter to request you to reduce the working hours , so that I can study for some time.

I would like to get coaching for advertisement skills skills at Indian Institute of Management and Skill Development. As a part of this, I request to reduce working hours, so that I can concentrate on skill development.

It would be better for me to work from 9am to 5pm because the institute offers only two timings one is in the morning from 9am to 12pm and the other in the evening from 5:30pm to 7:30pm from Monday to Saturday.

This advertisement skills were useful for me in many ways and it helps company in expanding, promoting brand and products and also marketing strategy.

keeping this in mind, I would like to request you to reduce my working hours in order to develop skills.

Yours Sincerely,

Shiva.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You explain the reason for the request, specify the desired hours, and outline the benefits to the employer. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat thin. For instance, the benefit to the employer is mentioned briefly as 'expanding, promoting brand and products', but it lacks specific detail or a professional tone that would make the request more persuasive. To improve, you should expand on how your new skills will specifically contribute to the company's growth, perhaps by mentioning a specific project or area of expertise you intend to improve.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your request. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'As a part of this' and 'keeping this in mind' to link your ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes a bit mechanical. The transition between the explanation of your hours and the benefits to the company could be smoother. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence that guides the reader through your argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it is somewhat repetitive and lacks sophistication. For example, you use the word 'skills' multiple times in close proximity, and phrases like 'get coaching' are quite informal. There are also minor errors in word choice, such as 'This advertisement skills were useful', where the pronoun 'This' does not agree with the plural noun 'skills'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise professional terminology and avoid repeating the same nouns and verbs throughout the letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'I request to reduce working hours' (should be 'I would like to request a reduction in my working hours') and 'This advertisement skills were useful' (should be 'These advertising skills will be useful'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are some issues with article usage and verb tense consistency. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles will significantly improve the clarity of your writing.

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

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