Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-11

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 Surinder,

Date- 30th Jan, 2026

Subject- changes in the working hours.

Hope this email finds you well. Recently, I got selected for CPA level 1 course. As your are also an CPA you are very well aware that this course requires a lot of time and efforts. In order to excel this exam, I am thinking to convert my full time position to part time position. I would like to work from Monday to Wednesday from 8 am to 4:30 Pm and for rest of the weekdays I can only work for 4 hours from 8 am to 12 pm.

As our company is growing aggressively, we will be needing more certified CPAs and I guess I am able to pass the exam with flying colors. I would be helping our accounting team with their audits and financial statements and my studies will help us to know what new changes are adopted in the accounting world.

Eager to receive your reply.

Kind regards,

Simran

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly explained your motivation for reducing hours (the CPA course), specified your requested schedule, and articulated the benefits to your employer. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a supervisor. To improve, you could expand slightly on the specific benefits to the employer; while you mention audits and financial statements, providing a more concrete example of how your new knowledge would solve a current company problem would elevate the response to a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter follows a logical progression, moving from the purpose of the email to the specific request and finally the benefits. Paragraphing is used, though the structure is somewhat compressed. You use some cohesive devices like 'As our company is growing', but the flow between sentences could be smoother. Some transitions are slightly mechanical, such as starting sentences with 'As'. Using a wider variety of linking words or phrases to connect your ideas would improve the overall flow and coherence of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'aggressively', 'audits', and 'financial statements' correctly. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and informal phrasing. For example, 'excel this exam' is slightly unnatural; 'excel in this exam' or 'pass this exam with distinction' would be better. Additionally, 'I guess I am able to' is a bit informal for a professional request. Aim to use more precise professional collocations to convey your request with greater authority and sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'As your are also an CPA' (should be 'As you are also a CPA') and 'I am thinking to convert' (should be 'I am thinking of converting'). Punctuation is generally clear, though the date format and subject line are a bit unconventional for a standard letter. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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