Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · 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 8.0)

Dear Mr. Smith,

I am writing to request a reduction in my working hours because I have recently decided to pursue a part-time course in business management. I believe this qualification will help me develop my professional skills while allowing me to continue contributing to the company.

At present, I work from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. five days a week. I would like to reduce my schedule to four days per week, preferably from Wednesday to Saturday, while keeping the same daily working hours. This arrangement would give me Mondays and Tuesdays to attend classes, complete assignments, and prepare for examinations.

I believe my studies would also benefit the company. The course covers areas such as leadership, communication, operations management, and problem-solving. These skills would help me manage my responsibilities more efficiently, communicate better with colleagues, and contribute to improving our daily operations. I would also be able to apply new ideas and techniques from my studies directly to my work.

I hope you will consider my request, and I would be happy to discuss an arrangement that suits the needs of the company.

Yours sincerely,

Mathew

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response fully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly explain the reason for the request (pursuing a business management course), specify the desired working hours (four days a week, Wednesday to Saturday), and provide a logical explanation of how the employer will benefit from your studies. The tone is professional and appropriate for a formal letter to a supervisor. The ideas are well-developed and the purpose of the letter is clear from the outset, meeting all requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph serves a distinct purpose, moving from the request to the logistics, and finally to the benefits for the company. Cohesive devices such as 'At present', 'This arrangement', and 'I believe' are used effectively to link sentences and paragraphs. The structure is coherent, and the flow of information is natural and easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary appropriate for a professional context. Phrases such as 'pursue a part-time course', 'contributing to the company', and 'manage my responsibilities more efficiently' are used accurately. The language is precise and fits the formal tone required for this task. There are no significant errors in word choice or collocation, and the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your message with clarity and a degree of sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

The writing displays a high level of grammatical accuracy. You use a variety of sentence structures, including complex sentences such as 'I believe this qualification will help me develop my professional skills while allowing me to continue contributing to the company.' Punctuation is used correctly throughout, and there are no noticeable grammatical errors. The control over tense and sentence construction is consistent, making the text very easy to read and professional in its presentation.

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

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