Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-12

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 Nishant,

Here within I'm writing for requesition to reduce my working hours as I'm planning to study part time for the Cybersecurity Experts course. I'm planning to enhance my skills into Cybersecurity domain and after through research came across wonderful online course which suits my exact needs. Although this course is online but this requires serious dedication, focus and time and from my current working hours, it would be difficult for me to allocate extra time for this.

As per our organization work policy, Full-time employees needs to work 8 hours per day and for this course to complete on my set goal time period, I would need to give at least 2 hours per day. so request your support and co-operation in reducing my working hours to 6 hours so that remaining 2 hours I can dedicate to my part-time course.

This course fully focus on Network Security & Cyber security aspects, and as you are already aware that the new project we are going to get soon once our sales team negotiation with Walmart goes well, and this project involves lots of complaince standards e.g. HIPPA, PII etc. to be handled which would require Cyber Security knowledge and skills to be implemented, so completing this course and eventually receiving Certification in this domain would definately adds confidence to our such customers.

Hope you may be able to manage my working hours and approve my request from your-end, also do let me know if you need this to be discussed with HR team.

Best regards,

Hiren Panchal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully covers all the bullet points outlined in the prompt. The writer clearly explains the reason for wanting to reduce working hours, which is to pursue a part-time Cybersecurity course. The specific hours requested are well-articulated, proposing a reduction to six hours per day instead of eight. Furthermore, the candidate effectively describes how this education will benefit the employer, linking the new cybersecurity skills directly to upcoming compliance standards and projects involving Walmart. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a manager. The ideas are fully extended and supported, satisfying the requirements of Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter maintains a clear logical progression throughout, transitioning smoothly from the initial request to the proposed hours, and finally to the business benefits. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct points, such as the personal goal, the logistical working hours, and the professional justification. Cohesive devices are employed adequately, though there are some slight awkwardnesses in referencing and linking, such as 'Here within I'm writing for requesition'. Nevertheless, the overarching arrangement is coherent and the reader can easily follow the sequence of ideas, aligning well with the descriptors for Band 6.5 or a solid Band 6.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The candidate demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for a workplace request, incorporating terms like 'Cybersecurity Experts', 'compliance standards', and 'Certification'. However, there are notable word-choice and collocation errors, such as 'Here within I'm writing for requesition' instead of 'I am writing to request', and 'fully focus' instead of 'fully focuses'. Despite these inaccuracies, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended message clearly without impeding communication. These characteristics place the lexical performance firmly within Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating a willingness to construct longer, multi-clause sentences. However, there are several grammatical errors and punctuation slips throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('Full-time employees needs') and run-on sentences connected loosely with commas ('...within this project involves lots of complaince standards e.g. HIPPA, PII etc. to be handled...'). While these errors are noticeable and occasionally cause mild reader hesitation, they do not completely impede communication. This balance of complex structures alongside frequent minor errors is representative of Band 6.

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

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