Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-04

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 regarding working hours. i am have been working from two years as manager assistance in your company .However, now i want to do study part time. since i have long chersied desire to accomplish artifical intelligence course.

likewise, i will make new software related to Educatio. Education is part of life , therefore i like to do study part time.

Moreover, i will do work in afternoon in your office around 1 pm. i will try do all work in these hours 1pm to 6pm. my friend amit also help me in office work

Furthermore, part time study benefical for company as well employer. in brief, with help of artificial intellegence i enhance productivity of company. The second point is i give new software to employer which they easily do any task

kindly understand my concern , i hope you will understand my concern and provide me optimistic outcomes.

your faithfully

khalsa

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt: explaining the reason for the request, specifying the desired hours, and describing the benefits to the employer. However, the development of these ideas is quite limited. For instance, the explanation of how the artificial intelligence course would benefit the company is vague and lacks professional detail. The tone is also somewhat inconsistent for a formal letter to a manager, appearing more like a casual request. While the task requirements are met, the lack of depth and the informal register prevent a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organised into short paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate, such as the repetitive use of 'furthermore' and 'likewise' in ways that do not always fit the context. The progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed, particularly in the second paragraph where the transition between the software idea and the study request is abrupt. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and the overall flow is hindered by the lack of sophisticated linking words.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and repetitive. There are several spelling errors, such as 'chersied' (cherished), 'artifical' (artificial), 'intellegence' (intelligence), and 'benefical' (beneficial). The word choice is often basic, and there is a lack of professional collocations suitable for a business letter. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequent errors and the limited range of vocabulary indicate a struggle to express ideas with precision or appropriate style for a formal workplace communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The letter contains frequent grammatical errors that affect the readability of the text. There are issues with subject-verb agreement ('i am have been working'), article usage ('in afternoon'), and sentence structure. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing capital letters at the start of sentences and incorrect spacing. While the writer attempts some complex ideas, the execution is frequently faulty. The mix of simple and complex structures is present, but the high frequency of errors makes the writing difficult to follow at times.

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

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