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 smith,

i am writing this letter for the reduction in my working hours because i have enrolled in the part time study. The name of the course is Business insights and analytics and duration of this course is of 6 months. This course going to be start from next month.

According to the Course's schedule my classes would be 3 days a week and i can work rest 4 days. i am truly confident that i will complete my assigned tasks in my reduce working hours.

This course not only work on my personal development but also useful for my work culture. From this course i would learn numerous skills for instance project management, business analyst and data analyst. so, i would handle all the works of these fields alone in your company. I believe that I would work more productively after completing this course.

Thank you for your understanding.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task: explaining the reason for the reduction in hours, specifying the desired schedule, and describing the benefits to the employer. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter to a manager. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, while you mention the course name and duration, the explanation of how your studies will specifically benefit the company could be more detailed and professional. To improve, ensure that your arguments are fully extended to demonstrate a clear professional value proposition to your employer.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical progression, moving from the request to the schedule and finally the benefits. Paragraphing is used, though the structure is slightly disjointed due to the short, simple sentences. You use some cohesive devices like 'for instance' and 'not only... but also', but the flow between sentences could be smoother. The use of referencing is generally clear, but the overall organization would benefit from more sophisticated linking words to connect your ideas more fluidly rather than relying on simple transitions.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. You use some relevant terms like 'enrolled', 'duration', and 'productively', which is positive. However, there are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'work culture' (which is not quite the right fit for the context of skills) and 'handle all the works'. To reach a higher band, you should aim for more precise professional terminology and avoid repetitive phrasing. Expanding your range of collocations related to business and professional development will significantly enhance your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, particularly regarding articles ('the part time study', 'the duration of this course is of 6 months'), verb tense consistency ('This course going to be start'), and capitalization ('i', 'smith'). While the meaning is generally clear, these frequent errors indicate a lack of control over basic sentence structures. You rely mostly on simple sentences; incorporating more complex structures, such as conditional sentences or relative clauses, while ensuring accurate punctuation and subject-verb agreement, would help improve your grammatical range and accuracy.

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

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