Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing you a letter with regards to ask you for reducing my working job hours as I wanted to persue my further education along with employment in part time shifts. I have completed my M.Sc in Biochemistry as a major subject and currently want to get enrolled in PhD programme.

As per the current scenario, I am planning to work in the morning shift in between 7am to 12pm. if you are providing me this shift I would be grateful to you as my PhD institution working hours are starting from 12pm, so it will be more reliable for me.

Major focusing on research based programme will help me to work efficiently in our company's laboratory system which will enhance my confidence to work with the instruments present in the lab.

I would appreciate if youy allow me to shift and reduce my working hours for my further development.

Waiting for your prompt response.

Yours sincerely,

Disha Prajapati

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points of the prompt: explaining the reason for the request, specifying the desired hours, and describing the benefits to the employer. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a supervisor. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, the explanation of how the PhD will benefit the company is a bit vague and could have been expanded with more specific details regarding how the research skills directly translate to the laboratory's current projects. Despite this, the purpose of the letter is clear and the requirements are met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter follows a logical structure, moving from the purpose of the letter to the specific request and finally the justification. Paragraphing is used, although the paragraphs are quite short. Cohesive devices such as 'As per the current scenario' and 'I would appreciate' are used to link ideas, though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The progression of ideas is clear, and the reader can easily follow the writer's intent throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with some relevant terminology such as 'Biochemistry', 'PhD programme', and 'research based programme'. However, there are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'working job hours' (redundant) and 'reliable' (which is used incorrectly to mean 'convenient' or 'suitable'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the message, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I am writing you a letter with regards to ask you' (should be 'to ask you'), 'persue' (spelling error), and 'if you are providing me' (should be 'if you could provide me'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are minor slips throughout. The errors do not impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score.

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

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