Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-02

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 Sir,

I am writing this letter to reduce my working hours. As i have decided to undertake a part time course alongside my job.

My regular hours of working is 8:00 to 4:00. I would be able to study if you cut this time to8:00 to 2:00. because there are evening slots available which could be accessible for me. After completing my regular responsibilities of work.

I believe this arrangement could also benefit the company because additional knowledge and skills I gain from the course would improve the quality of my work. I would remain fully committed to my duties and ensure that all important tasks are completed on time.

I would appreciate it if you consider my request.

Yours faithfully,

Atul

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the reason for the request, the proposed hours, and the benefits to the employer. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum requirement, which negatively impacts the development of ideas. The explanation of why you want to reduce hours is brief, and the benefits to the employer are stated in a general way without sufficient elaboration. To improve, you should expand on the nature of the course and provide more specific details on how the new skills will be applied to your current role to meet the length requirement and demonstrate a more thorough response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure of your request. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'I believe' and 'I would appreciate it if'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes disjointed, particularly in the second paragraph where the sentence structure is fragmented. For example, 'because there are evening slots...' is a sentence fragment that should be connected to the previous thought. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that sentences are complete will help create a more professional and cohesive tone.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for a formal letter, but it lacks variety and sophistication. You rely on simple phrasing such as 'cut this time' and 'improve the quality of my work'. While the meaning is clear, the range is limited. To achieve a higher band score, try to incorporate more precise, professional collocations related to workplace communication and academic study. For instance, instead of 'cut this time', you could use 'adjust my working hours' or 'reduce my current schedule'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There are several grammatical errors that affect the quality of the writing. You have issues with sentence fragments, such as 'As i have decided to undertake a part time course alongside my job,' which is an incomplete sentence. Additionally, there are punctuation and capitalization errors, such as the lowercase 'i' and the missing space in 'to8:00'. The sentence structures are mostly simple, with limited attempts at complex sentences. To improve, focus on ensuring that every sentence has a clear subject and verb, and work on using more varied sentence structures to demonstrate better control.

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.