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,

Im writing to request reduction in my working hours because I would like to pursue a post time course to improve my professional and knowledge skills

The main reason is requested us that I have recently decided to countinue my education.my course will be

Help me gain knowledge and development new skills related to my professional however,it requires me to attend classes and complete assignment during the week . therefore I believe that reduction my working hours would help me manage both my job and my studies effectively

Currently I work from 9am to 6pm from Monday to Friday i would like to request permission to work from 8am to 5pm four days a week .i believe that it will still be able to complete my impression and important responsibility during hours

Further more my past time study would also benifit the company .i would gain knowledge and skills to help to perform effectively

I hope u will consider my request

Yours faithfully

Simran gill

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in 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 somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation of how your studies benefit the company is quite brief and could be expanded with more specific examples of how the new skills would be applied in your current role. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, although the opening 'Dear sir' is generic; using a specific name or 'Dear Manager' would be more professional. Overall, the response covers the requirements but lacks depth in the supporting arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your request. You use some cohesive devices such as 'therefore', 'however', and 'furthermore' to link ideas. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly inaccurate, such as the placement of 'however' in the second paragraph. Additionally, the paragraphing is not clearly defined, as the text appears as a block rather than distinct sections. Improving the use of transition words and ensuring clear paragraph breaks would significantly enhance the flow and readability of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, but there are several spelling errors and word-choice inaccuracies that detract from the professional tone. Examples include 'post time' instead of 'part-time', 'development' instead of 'develop', and 'benifit' instead of 'benefit'. While your meaning is generally clear, the range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. To reach a higher band, you should focus on using more precise professional terminology and ensuring correct spelling, as these errors occasionally force the reader to pause to interpret your intended meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the letter, particularly regarding sentence structure, punctuation, and capitalization. For example, you often omit articles (e.g., 'reduction in my working hours' should be 'a reduction'), and there are issues with run-on sentences and missing full stops. The use of 'u' instead of 'you' is informal and inappropriate for this type of correspondence. While you attempt some complex structures, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar and punctuation limits your score. Focusing on sentence boundaries and proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement will help improve your accuracy.

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

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