Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-01

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

Monika,

Hope you are doing well

I am sending this letter for requesting to adjust my working hours on job. As you know my shift timing is 10 hours because of that this is very hard to focus on study. So that why i wanna have 8 hours shift which would start from 6 am to 2:30 pm and after that i will go for evening classes .

These classes are very important for me because with the help of that i will get more knowledge about dispatch and it will help me to do better on job as well. In these classes i will learn new software and coding which will help me do task easily on job. once the classes will finish i will back to my regular shift,

Hope you understand my situation and take a decision on my request.

Regards,

Harvinderpreet Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the reason for the request, the specific hours desired, and the benefits to the employer. However, the response is slightly under the 150-word minimum, which limits the development of ideas. While the purpose is clear, the explanation of how the studies benefit the employer is somewhat repetitive and lacks professional depth. To improve, you should expand on the specific skills gained and how they directly translate to increased productivity or efficiency for the company. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, though it could be more polished.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into a logical sequence, moving from the request to the justification and finally the conclusion. However, the paragraphing is weak; the entire body is essentially one block of text, which makes it harder to follow. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often basic or repetitive (e.g., 'because of that', 'so that why', 'with the help of that'). The flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the lack of clear paragraph breaks hinders the overall structure of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely on simple phrasing such as 'do better on job' and 'do task easily'. There is a lack of professional collocations suitable for a workplace request. Some word choices are informal or slightly awkward, such as 'wanna' (which should be avoided in formal writing) and 'go for evening classes'. To reach a higher band, you should incorporate more precise business-related vocabulary and avoid colloquialisms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains several grammatical errors that affect the flow of the text. There are issues with sentence structure, such as 'I am sending this letter for requesting to adjust', which should be 'I am writing to request an adjustment'. Punctuation is inconsistent, particularly with missing commas and incorrect capitalization. There are also errors with articles and verb forms, such as 'I will back to my regular shift' instead of 'I will return to my regular shift'. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents a higher score.

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

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