Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Dear Ms An,

I'm writing this letter to as you i you can reduce my working hours. Honestly, I want to study part-time a Chinese language course like an extra class after school.

I need to reduce my working hours because my extra class starts in the morning. My course begin next week and I studies three days a week. By the way, I work at 7 am to 9 am everyday, so i would like to change my working time to begin in the afternoon on Monday to Sunday. This schedule will give me a chance and time to study this language class.

This plan will help our group to improve my language skill. When i learn new language, I can used this skills in our office and have a chance to communicate with our partners fluently.

Thank you for your time and help. I hope you can accept my request.

From,

My name.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the reason for the request, the preferred hours, and the benefits to the employer. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation of how the study benefits the employer is a bit repetitive and lacks professional depth. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, though the structure is quite simple. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the specific benefits, such as mentioning how Chinese language skills could help with specific international clients or projects, rather than just stating it will improve communication skills generally.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the request. You use some basic cohesive devices like 'because', 'by the way', and 'when', which provide a clear flow. However, the transitions between sentences are sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as the abrupt shift in the second paragraph. The use of 'By the way' is also too informal for a letter to a boss. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph focuses on a single, well-developed idea would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. You rely on simple phrases like 'extra class' and 'new language'. There are some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'I'm writing this letter to as you i you can reduce' (likely meant 'ask if you can') and 'I can used this skills'. These errors do not prevent the message from being understood, but they do limit the range of vocabulary demonstrated. To improve, try to incorporate more professional terminology related to workplace requests and professional development.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('my course begin', 'I studies'), incorrect verb forms ('I can used'), and punctuation errors (missing capitalization for 'i'). While you attempt some complex sentences, they are often marred by these slips. The sentence structures are generally simple, and the errors occasionally require the reader to re-read to grasp the intended meaning. Focusing on basic sentence construction, specifically tense consistency and subject-verb agreement, will significantly improve your score in this criterion.

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

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