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 sir,

I am writing this email to inform you that I would like to reduce my working hours.

Recently I joined the course of study which required my attention and time. I joind this course as part time student to improve my knowledge about business marketing. As recently I am working monday to friday from nine to five. And the course in which i am enrolled is start at four

pm and end at 7 pm and the days of the course are wednesday, thursday and friday. so i wanna request you to allow me to leave work at 3.30pm so that i can reach at the institute at 4 pm and i can only work from 9 to 3:30pm.

I have joined this course because its going to help in improving my knowledge about diffrent makets and i can learn the maketing stategies. which i think i really going to be use full for work i am doing in your company because i am working as a business marketing head and gaining the knowlede about latest trands and changes in the market would be benefical for my work.

I would look forward for your response.

your faithfully

Gurveen Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly explain the reason for the request, specify the desired working hours (9 am to 3:30 pm), and describe how the studies will benefit the employer. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter to a boss. However, the development of ideas is somewhat basic. To reach a higher band, you could expand on the specific skills you hope to gain and how they will be applied to your current role in more detail. The structure is logical, and the purpose of the letter is clear from the beginning.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your request. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'so' and 'because', but the flow is occasionally interrupted by short, choppy sentences. The transition between the reason for the request and the benefit to the employer could be smoother. Additionally, the paragraphing is a bit inconsistent; the body of the letter would benefit from clearer separation between the logistical request and the professional justification. Using a wider variety of linking words like 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'in addition' would improve the overall cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your message clearly. However, there are several spelling errors, such as 'joind', 'diffrent', 'makets', 'maketing', 'stategies', 'use full', 'knowlede', 'trands', and 'benefical'. These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable. While you use some relevant business terminology like 'business marketing' and 'marketing strategies', the range is somewhat limited. To improve, focus on proofreading your work to eliminate basic spelling mistakes and try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations related to professional development and workplace communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include incorrect verb tenses (e.g., 'is start at four pm'), missing articles, and punctuation errors (e.g., starting sentences with lowercase letters and improper sentence fragments like 'which i think i really going to be use full'). The use of 'wanna' is too informal for a letter to a boss; 'would like to' or 'wish to' is preferred. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to lower the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and formal register will significantly improve your writing.

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

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