Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear Madam,

I hope this letter finds in excellent health. I am writing this letter to request you to kindly allow me to for work part time for 3 months as I am planning to a design course in the next month.

To begin with, as discussed earlier about my interest in learning interiors. I finally have enrolled myself for the upcoming course. I firmly believe that it is essential to acquire skillset which not only be beneficial to me but it can be profitable to the company as well.

Therefore, it is my humble request to you to kindly grant my application to work in the first half from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm in the morning, so that I can manage work and do part-time studies of interior designing in the second half of the day.

I assure you that I would be completely responsible for my roles and responsibilities and finished my assigned task before leaving from the office.

I have attached below the details of the course.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I would be looking back to hearing it from you.

Yours faithfully,

Asha Chanchlani

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all three bullet points of the task: explaining the reason for the request, specifying the desired hours, and describing the benefits to the employer. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a boss. However, the development of the third point—how the interior design course benefits the company—is somewhat brief. To reach a higher band, you could provide a more specific example of how your new skills might be applied to current or future projects at your workplace. Overall, the purpose of the letter is clear and the requirements are met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'To begin with,' 'Therefore,' and 'I assure you,' which help guide the reader through your request. However, the transition between the introduction and the first body paragraph could be smoother. Additionally, some sentences are slightly repetitive in structure. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph focuses on a single, well-developed idea would enhance the flow and cohesion of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using terms like 'acquire,' 'profitable,' and 'consideration.' There are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'I hope this letter finds in excellent health' (should be 'finds you in excellent health') and 'looking back to hearing it from you' (should be 'looking forward to hearing from you'). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise control over common formal phrases. Expanding your vocabulary to include more sophisticated collocations would improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'allow me to for work' (extra preposition), 'planning to a design course' (missing verb 'take'), and 'skillset which not only be beneficial' (missing auxiliary verb 'will'). Additionally, 'finished my assigned task' should be 'finish my assigned tasks' to maintain consistent tense. While these errors are noticeable, they do not prevent the reader from understanding your request. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of modal verbs in formal requests.

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

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