Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-08

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 or Madam,

I am writing to inform you that I would reducing my working hours because I enrolled in the new course.

Recently, I took a course which would boost my interpersonal skills. I have classes everyday in the evening. Which cause I am enable to attend more hours at work. I thought that I would manage both work and study. Unfortunately, after long day work, I tired and getting late for my classes.

Currently, I am working 8 hours in a day from Monday to Saturday. However, after taking my course I would prefer 6 hours a day from Monday to Thursday. Due to this, I can give more focus on my studies.

Fortunately, this course would not only benifical for me but also it will help your company. Because in my studies I will learn different languages and communication skills. Which will help to talk with overseas clients.

I will appreciate if you could extract my hours at work. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Tejwant

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. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation of how your studies will benefit the company is a bit brief. To improve, try to elaborate more on how specific skills gained from your course could be applied to your current role. Despite this, the purpose of the letter is clear throughout, and the reader understands your request and the justification behind it.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, with each paragraph focusing on a specific part of the task. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'However', 'Fortunately', and 'Due to this', to link your ideas. However, there are instances where the flow is slightly disjointed, particularly in the second paragraph where sentences like 'Which cause I am enable to attend more hours at work' are grammatically fragmented and disrupt the logical progression. Improving the use of transition words and ensuring that sentences are fully connected will help the text flow more naturally and improve the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message, such as 'interpersonal skills', 'enrolled', and 'overseas clients'. However, there are some noticeable errors in word choice and form, such as 'benifical' (spelling), 'extract my hours' (incorrect collocation for 'reduce' or 'adjust'), and 'I am enable' (incorrect word form). These errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, but they do limit the precision of your writing. To reach a higher band, focus on using more accurate collocations and ensuring correct spelling of key terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the accuracy of your writing. Examples include 'I would reducing' (incorrect verb form), 'Which cause I am enable' (incorrect sentence structure and word choice), and 'after long day work, I tired' (missing articles and verb). While these errors are frequent, they rarely impede communication, as the context remains clear. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct verb tense usage, and ensuring that every sentence has a clear subject and main verb.

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

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