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 Manager,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing a letter to inform you . I want to do part time study in university Canada west in hotel management which is beneficial for my upcoming future .That is way,I want to reduce my working hours .If I will do hotel management course then company will open up better job career option for me. Further, I can do better work as professionally and personally.

Moreover, I can do work on Sunday , Monday and Wednesday at 9a.m to 4p.m. Also, the rest of days I can manage my classes and other course work like assignments, presentations. This schedule gives me good sense of bright future. According to this ways I can manage both things study and work .

If you gives me this opportunity then it’s better chance to improve my skills personally and professionally which I will use in this job.I will appreciate please understand my position.

Yours sincerely,

Manpreet

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly state the reason for the request (part-time study), specify the desired working hours (Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday), and explain the benefits to the employer. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation of how your studies benefit the employer is quite general; you could have been more specific about how the hotel management course would directly improve your performance or contribute to the company's success. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, though it lacks some of the professional polish expected in a business context.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect of the task. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Further', and 'Also' to link your ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the transition between the explanation of your studies and the proposed schedule feels a bit abrupt. The use of referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'According to this ways', which does not connect smoothly to the previous information. Improving the variety of linking words would help the text flow more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. You rely on simple phrases like 'do better work' and 'good sense of bright future'. There are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'upcoming future' (which is redundant) and 'do part time study' (which should be 'pursue part-time studies'). To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise professional terminology related to employment and education, and avoid repeating the same words within short distances.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You demonstrate an ability to construct simple sentences, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the letter. Common issues include missing articles ('in university Canada west'), incorrect verb forms ('If you gives me'), and awkward phrasing ('That is way'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to distract the reader. You should focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions. The range of structures is limited; try to incorporate more complex sentence structures, such as conditional clauses or relative clauses, with greater accuracy.

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

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