Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-06

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 sir,

I hope you are doing great. I want to request you about decreasing office hours to do study part-time.

As I mentioned earlier, I will start my course next month related to business management that will be more beneficial for this job too.It will not only enhance my skills but also open the door for other avenues.

As am working full time from 7am to 5 pm. Now I want to reduce these hours because I have classes in the morning from 7am to 12 pm.If u can make some schedule changes for me , am available to start work in the afternoon from 1 to 5 pm.My institute is near to our office that’s why, It’s easy for me to start work straight after classes.

I can make a promise that, part- time work will not only advantageous for me but also for our organization too. If I will start these studies within part time work, Company will not loose his employee

And do not need to hire other person for replacement.

Yours sincerely,

ABC.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter covers all three bullet points: the reason for the request, the proposed hours, and the benefits to the employer. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal request, though it leans slightly informal in places. The ideas are relevant, but the development is somewhat basic. For example, the explanation of how the studies benefit the employer is a bit repetitive, focusing primarily on retention rather than specific skills gained. To reach a higher band, you should expand on how the business management course will specifically improve your performance in your current role, providing more depth to your arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your request. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally inaccurate. For instance, the transition 'that’s why, It’s easy' is informal and slightly awkward. Additionally, the referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the final paragraph where 'these studies within part time work' is confusingly phrased. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer back to their antecedents would significantly improve the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message, but there are several instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors. Phrases like 'open the door for other avenues' and 'make a promise' are slightly unnatural in this context. There are also minor errors such as 'loose' instead of 'lose' and 'other person' instead of 'another person'. To improve, focus on learning collocations specific to professional correspondence, such as 'professional development' or 'mutually beneficial arrangement', rather than relying on more generic, conversational phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, including missing articles ('do study', 'in the morning'), incorrect verb forms ('If I will start'), and punctuation issues (spacing before commas). The use of 'u' instead of 'you' is inappropriate for a formal letter. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your request, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall accuracy of the text. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and formal punctuation will help improve your score.

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

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