Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear Johnson,

I hope this letter finds you well. My name is Simran Sharma working in your Proactive Physiotherapy Clinic on your Delta location as a post of physiotherapist assistant in your clinic from last four years. As you already know, that recently I passed my licensing exam with the grace of god. Although, I want to persue Master of Orthopaedics for my carrier opportunities.

For that, onwards after two weeks my classes has been started. I requested you to please reduce my working hours. With that, I can manage both my studies and job.

However, As I earlier doing 40 hours per week but now I want to do 20 hours per week. My classes scheduled from monday to friday 9am to 2pm.After that, I want to joined the clinic in evening hours.

It benefited for both of us because I leaning the new skills and practical techniques. As it helps to upgrade our clinic and studies help me to upgrade my knowledge.

Yours sincerely,

SANA

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly state the reason for the request (pursuing a Master’s degree), specify the desired hours (20 hours per week), and explain the benefit to the employer (gaining new skills and techniques). However, the development of these points is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation of how your studies will benefit the clinic is quite brief and could be expanded to sound more professional. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter to a boss, although some phrasing is slightly informal or awkward, such as 'with the grace of god'. Overall, the task requirements are met, but the depth of the content could be improved to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your request. You use some basic cohesive devices like 'However' and 'For that', but the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical. There are issues with referencing and sentence structure that occasionally make the progression of ideas feel disjointed. For example, the transition between your current work situation and your request is abrupt. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus. The paragraphing is present but could be more effectively utilised to separate the different requirements of the task.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your needs clearly. You use some relevant professional terms like 'physiotherapist assistant' and 'licensing exam'. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'on the Delta location' (should be 'at'), 'as a post of' (should be 'in the position of'), and 'I leaning the new skills' (should be 'I will be learning'). These errors do not prevent understanding, but they do indicate a limited range of vocabulary and a lack of precision in formal writing. Expanding your range of professional collocations would significantly improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Issues include tense inconsistencies ('classes has been started', 'As I earlier doing'), subject-verb agreement, and preposition errors ('in your clinic from last four years'). While these errors rarely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. To improve, pay closer attention to verb tenses—specifically ensuring that future plans are expressed correctly—and proofread for basic subject-verb agreement. Increasing the variety of complex structures while maintaining accuracy will help you move into a higher band.

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

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