Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-30

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 Mr Smith ,

I am written to request if you could lessen my working hours because i am thinking of getting admission in the university to do a course in the Buisness Management .

I am considering this course in order to improve my current role and it would definitely help flourish the company also . The timing of the course is from 4 pm till 8 pm in the evening . As my current job timings are from 8 am to 5 pm , so I will not be able to attend my class with my current job timings . Hence , I would require to reduce my job timing till 2 pm so that I could attend my classes on time .

The good thing is that the classes are from monday to friday. Therefore, I would be able to do some extra work on weekends. I would be grateful to you if you consider my request.

Yours Sincerely,

James Brown

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 (university studies), specify the desired hours (ending at 2 pm), and describe the benefit to the employer (improving your current role and helping the company flourish). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a boss. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly on how the specific skills gained in Business Management would be applied to your current tasks, as this would provide more depth to the final bullet point.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized, with each paragraph focusing on a specific requirement of the task. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Therefore', 'Hence', and 'As', which help the reader follow your argument. However, the paragraphing is somewhat fragmented; the letter would benefit from a more standard structure, perhaps grouping the explanation and the specific hours into one cohesive body paragraph. Additionally, ensure that the transition between the request and the benefits is smoother to improve the overall flow of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'admission', 'flourish', and 'grateful'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'lessen my working hours' (reduce is more standard) and 'do a course' (take or enroll in is more formal). There is also a spelling error ('Buisness'). While these errors do not impede communication, expanding your range of professional collocations would help you achieve a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the conditional 'I would be grateful if you consider...' and the causal 'As my current job timings are...'. There are several grammatical errors, including 'I am written' (should be 'I am writing') and 'i' (should be capitalized). Additionally, there are issues with punctuation, specifically the unnecessary spaces before commas. While these errors are noticeable, they do not prevent the reader from understanding your request. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent capitalization will improve your accuracy.

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

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