Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

Dear Sir,

I hope you are feeling well. I would like to talk about my schedule and hours. As I am working in Day Care as a full time Early childhood Educator. I have level 1 as you already know.

So, I want to continue my study for level 2 in order to enhance my practical and motor skills due to which I will able to show my more abilities. I know it is difficult for you, but as you already know; In our daycare we have a need of level 2 educator so, it would not only beneficial for me but also impact your bassiness as well. I hope you can understand my condition and kindly decrease my hours from full-time to part time.

Yours Sincerely

Tanveer Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the reason for the request, the preferred hours, and the benefits to the employer. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum, which limits the development of ideas. For instance, the explanation of how the studies would benefit the employer is quite brief and lacks detail. To improve, you should expand on the specific skills you will gain and how they will directly improve the quality of care at the daycare. Additionally, the request for specific hours is missing; you mention wanting to move to part-time but do not specify which days or times you are available, which is a key requirement of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter has a basic structure, but the paragraphing is insufficient. The body of the letter is essentially one large block of text, which makes it difficult to follow the progression of ideas. While there are some attempts at cohesive devices such as 'in order to' and 'not only... but also', the flow is somewhat mechanical. To achieve a higher score, ensure you use clear paragraph breaks to separate your introduction, the explanation of your request, the benefits, and the conclusion. Using a wider variety of linking words would also help to improve the logical flow between your sentences.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. There are some noticeable errors in word choice, such as 'bassiness' (likely intended as 'business') and 'show my more abilities'. These errors occasionally hinder the clarity of your message. To improve, focus on using more professional and precise terminology related to your field of work. Avoid informal phrasing and ensure that your spelling is accurate, as errors like 'bassiness' can distract the reader and suggest a lack of attention to detail.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. For example, 'As I am working in Day Care as a full time Early childhood Educator' is a sentence fragment, and 'I will able to show' is missing the verb 'be'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of semicolons and commas. To improve, focus on basic sentence construction and ensure that every sentence has a clear subject and verb. Reviewing your work for subject-verb agreement and missing auxiliary verbs will significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.

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

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