Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-10

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 Ahmed Sir,

I am writing to formally request you to decrease the number of hours I work as I am making a decision to study part time.

I am having my background in pharmacy field and I want to study the course to become a pharmacy assistant. This will upgrade my knowledge about software and medicines. For this reason, I want to request you to reduce my working hours so that i can concentrate on my study.

I also to want to change my availability to work over there. As on weekdays I am having my lectures in the evenings, i will not be able to do closings on those days. However, I am open to work entire day on weekend. Furthermore, I do feel that my study will also benefit you as right now i am working as an Over-The-Counter Associate which is related to the medicines. Once I will be completing my study, I would become more handy towards software and pharmacy workflow knowledge which will ultimately help you with your business.

Thank you for your time and attention.

Yours sincerely,

Dhruti Panchal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly explain the reason for the request (part-time study), specify your desired availability (weekends instead of weekday evenings), and articulate the benefits to your employer (improved software and pharmacy workflow knowledge). The tone is appropriate for a formal request to a manager. To reach a higher band, ensure that the explanation of benefits is slightly more detailed; for instance, you could explicitly mention how your new skills will save the employer time or increase efficiency in the pharmacy.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a distinct purpose. You use cohesive devices such as 'For this reason', 'However', and 'Furthermore' to link your ideas effectively. The progression of information is easy to follow. To improve, try to vary your transitions slightly more, as some of the sentence structures are a bit repetitive. Ensure that referencing is always clear; for example, in the second paragraph, 'the course' could be more specifically defined to improve the flow of information.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using topic-specific terms like 'pharmacy assistant', 'Over-The-Counter Associate', and 'pharmacy workflow'. However, there are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'I am having my background' (should be 'I have a background') and 'more handy towards' (should be 'more proficient in'). These minor inaccuracies do not impede communication, but they prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on natural collocations will help improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'I also to want to' (extra 'to'), 'I am having my lectures' (incorrect tense usage), and 'Once I will be completing' (should be 'Once I have completed'). These errors are frequent but do not cause difficulty for the reader. To improve, focus on mastering verb tenses and eliminating unnecessary words to ensure your complex sentences are grammatically sound.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.