Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-28

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 Jasmeet,

I am writing this letter to request you to decrease my shift hours. the reason for this less work time is my upcoming Personal support worker part-time study. I wish to explore more growth in my healthcare career so I have chosen to expand my expertise by studying this course.

I have most of my classes on weekends but I need off on every alternating Wednesday starting from next week. and I can not be available for On call Shifts on Wednesday and Sunday.

My current CSA job is good but I do not want to stuck there forever so chose to step ahead. Not only it will give me more opportunities but also I can provide more value to the company. I hope you will understand my request and reduce my hours to help me to achieve a better future for me and more value to the company. Thank you for your time on this matter.

Regards

Lovejeet

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. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter to a manager. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, while you mention that your studies will provide 'more value' to the company, this point is not fully explained or elaborated upon. Providing a specific example of how your new skills could be applied in your current role would have strengthened the response and helped you achieve a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized into three distinct paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your request. You use some basic cohesive devices such as 'not only... but also' and 'however' (implied). However, the flow between sentences is sometimes a bit mechanical, and there are instances where the connection between ideas could be smoother. For example, the transition between the second paragraph (the specific hours) and the third paragraph (the benefits) could be improved with better linking phrases to create a more professional and cohesive tone throughout the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly, such as 'expertise', 'opportunities', and 'alternating'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation that slightly hinder the professional tone. For instance, 'I do not want to stuck there' should be 'I do not want to get stuck there', and 'need off' is informal; 'require time off' would be more appropriate. While the vocabulary is adequate for the task, it lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('the reason for this... is my upcoming... study'), punctuation issues (starting sentences with lowercase letters like 'the' and 'and'), and verb form errors ('chose to step ahead' instead of 'I have chosen'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your request, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall accuracy of the writing. Focusing on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and capitalization would significantly improve your score.

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

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