Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear Sir,

Greeting of the day, How are you? This is Michelle one of your employee working full-time from Monday to Sunday about 40 hours I am working in this institution from last two year and doing my best, however, now I want to upgrade my skills and adopt a new course that is office administration in health services. Well , I always want to opt medical field due to which I am working as an front desk in this medical, but now I want to do this course because I want to work in hospital with better skills and benefit.

Actually, my course is starting from September 5, and the classes will be on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday so that is why I would unable to work in these days but rest of the days, I am available and can work full time so please try to adjust my schedule accordingly.

My course can also be considered beneficial for my current job because of this course I can learn more skills such as communication skill, Ontario rules and regulation related to medical and also will learn a new system called Accuro which would be beneficial to handle the data of the patients. So, please help me with my schedule and reduce my working hour from 40 to 25 so that I can focus on my studies.

Yours sincerely

Michelle

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 (to upgrade skills), specify the desired hours (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday off, reducing total hours to 25), and describe the benefits to the employer (improved communication and technical skills with the Accuro system). The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter to a supervisor. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive, and the structure could be more professional. To improve, ensure that the connection between your studies and the employer's needs is more explicitly linked to business outcomes rather than just personal skill acquisition.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your request. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally awkward, such as the transition 'Well , I always want to opt...'. The flow between sentences is sometimes interrupted by run-on structures, particularly in the first paragraph. While the overall progression of ideas is clear, the paragraphing could be more refined to separate the request from the justification more effectively. Using a wider variety of linking words like 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'in addition' would improve the logical flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'institution', 'upgrade my skills', and 'beneficial'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'adopt a new course' (instead of 'enroll in'), 'opt medical field' (instead of 'pursue a career in the medical field'), and 'working as an front desk' (instead of 'working as a receptionist'). These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your writing. Expanding your vocabulary to include more professional collocations would enhance your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there is a high frequency of grammatical errors. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('one of your employee' should be 'employees'), tense inconsistencies ('I am working... from last two year' should be 'I have been working... for the last two years'), and missing articles ('in hospital' should be 'in a hospital'). Additionally, punctuation is inconsistent, particularly with comma splices and run-on sentences. While the meaning is generally clear, the number of errors is significant enough to prevent a higher band score. Focus on mastering basic verb tenses and article usage.

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

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