Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-09

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 6.5)

Dear Sir,

I hope this letter finds you in good health. I am writing this letter to discuss about my working hours.

I have been working at EV logistics as full time employee since joining. However I would like to request you to change my position to part-time and reduce my working hours. I recently enrolled in a part time course at UFV this summer, which does not allow me to work full-time.

Since classes will on weekdays in morning, I would be able to work on weekends or evenings only. My maximum limit is twenty hours a week by law as a work permit holder, which could help me in tuition fees.

The course that I am enrolling in is Data handling. Not only it will inculcate additional skill set but it could help in becoming a valuable member of the company. I would be able to handle shipping labels and incoming data with ease. I would appreciate your permission for the hours.

Best regards,

Harmanjot Singh.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points of the task. You clearly explain the reason for the request (part-time studies), specify the desired working hours (weekends or evenings), and describe the benefits to the employer (data handling skills). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a boss. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly on how the specific 'Data handling' course will directly improve your current workflow at EV Logistics, providing a more persuasive argument for the employer to grant your request.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Since', and 'Not only... but', which help the flow of ideas. However, the transition between the mention of your work permit and the tuition fees is slightly abrupt. Improving the use of linking phrases between sentences would help the text feel more cohesive and professional.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'inculcate', 'valuable member', and 'enrolled'. There are some minor issues with collocation, such as 'discuss about', which should simply be 'discuss'. Additionally, 'maximum limit is twenty hours' is understandable but could be phrased more naturally. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, incorporating a few more precise professional collocations would elevate the quality of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'Since classes will on weekdays' (missing the verb 'be') and 'Not only it will inculcate' (incorrect word order; it should be 'Not only will it inculcate'). Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear throughout the letter. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct placement of auxiliary verbs in inverted structures.

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

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