Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

Dear Mr. Corpuz,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing to politely to negotiate my current working hours at ABC Enterprises.

First, I would like to introduce my employment position in the company. I am in charge of marketing the organization's domestic products. My goal is to become a Marketing Manager, and I know that one of the requirements to be promoted in the higher position is to have a a graduate degree, particularly an MBA. This is the primary reason of my letter to you. I would like to request for the adjusted of my office hours.

In line with my request, is it possible to start working as early as 7:00 am so that I can leave the office by 4:00 pm. This is to accommodate my graduate school class, which is scheduled everyday from 6:00-9:00pm. I can use the time from 4:00-5:00 pm to prepare for my class, such as traveling to my school. I would like to clarify that eve though the class schedule is everyday it is not considered as full time schedule. A student has to be at school from 7:30 am- 4:00 pm in order to be classified as full time.

I strongly believe that my graduate studies will have positive impact not only to myself, but also to the company. This is largely due to the fact that I can bring fresh ideas I learned from the class to various projects of the company, such R&D of a particular consumer product. Additionally, the connections that I could gained while studying can greatly assist the company in exploring partnership possibilities.

Thank you for you consideration.

Kind regards,

Elisa

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly explain the motivation for your request (pursuing an MBA for career advancement), specify the desired working hours (7:00 am to 4:00 pm), and articulate the benefits to the employer, such as bringing fresh ideas and networking opportunities. The tone is appropriate for a formal business letter. The ideas are well-developed and relevant, providing a logical flow that justifies your request. You have fully satisfied the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is well-organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a distinct aspect of the request, which helps the reader follow your argument easily. You use cohesive devices such as 'First,' 'In line with my request,' and 'Additionally' to link your ideas. While the transition between the explanation of your class schedule and the benefits to the company is slightly abrupt, the overall progression of ideas is logical and easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary suitable for a professional context, such as 'negotiate,' 'accommodate,' and 'partnership possibilities.' There are a few minor errors in word choice and form, such as 'request for the adjusted of my office hours' (should be 'adjustment') and 'could gained' (should be 'could gain'). Despite these occasional slips, your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning precisely and professionally. You successfully use topic-specific language related to your employment and academic goals.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'I am writing to politely to negotiate' (unnecessary 'to'), 'a a graduate degree' (repetition), and 'eve though' (spelling). However, these errors are infrequent and do not impede communication. Your control over punctuation and sentence construction is generally strong, and you show an ability to use complex structures to explain your reasoning, which is appropriate for this level.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.