Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-31

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 boss,

I hope you are doing well. Today I am writing this letter to inform you that Due to heavy workload of studies I want to reduce my working hours.

Over the past few days, I have been noticing that my score in class was decreasing day by day, which affects my overall performance. While I was continuously pay attention more on my job rather than on my study.

My teacher strictly told to me you should focus on your education because your score was lower as compared to last exam.

I would let you know please reschedule my working hours so I could balance between my study and job. I would like to work on weekends.

Your faithfully

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points, but the development of ideas is insufficient. You explain the need to reduce hours and state your preferred schedule, but the third point regarding how your studies benefit the employer is entirely missing. Furthermore, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum, which prevents a full exploration of the topic. To improve, you must ensure every bullet point is addressed with supporting details and aim to meet the length requirement to allow for adequate task development.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is brief and lacks clear paragraphing. While there is a basic logical flow, the transition between the reason for the request and the proposed schedule is abrupt. Cohesive devices are largely absent, making the text feel like a collection of disjointed sentences rather than a cohesive letter. To improve, use linking words such as 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'in addition' to connect your ideas and ensure you use distinct paragraphs for the introduction, body, and conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is functional but basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'doing well', 'heavy workload', and 'overall performance' are common but lack the sophistication required for higher bands. There are also errors in word choice, such as 'pay attention more on my job', which should be 'focusing more on my job'. To improve, try to incorporate more precise professional vocabulary related to workplace negotiations and academic pursuits, and ensure your collocations are accurate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'Due to heavy workload of studies I want' (missing article), 'my teacher strictly told to me' (incorrect verb pattern), and 'Your faithfully' (incorrect closing). The sentence structures are mostly simple, with limited attempts at complex sentences. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct preposition usage, and proofreading for basic punctuation and spelling errors. Increasing the variety of your sentence structures will also help improve your score.

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

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