Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Hi sir,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing to inform you i would like to reduce my working hours due to my study .If i am working full time ,it is hard for me to focus on study because of this i faced a lot of problems in my study also i am not properly focus on my study. Moreover, my classes time will be change next week so i would like to change my schudule i just work at night time from 10 pm to 6 am rather than in the morning . Furthermore, this study is crucial for me , because i want to work continue in this nursing field if i want to become hire poistion in this work then its important for me to clear this course. So, I hope you can understand my whole situation and i am waiting your reply. If you have any questions related to anything just email me any time .

yours faithfully,

Jasdeep kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student covers all three bullet points required by the prompt, albeit with some repetition and limited development. Specifically, the writer explains the desire to reduce hours due to nursing studies, states the preferred working hours (night shift from 10 pm to 6 am), and describes how this will benefit the employer by helping the employee gain a higher position in the nursing field. However, the tone is slightly informal and the ideas lack depth and extension. For example, the explanation regarding the study schedule is repetitive ("focus on study because of this i faced a lot of problems in my study also i am not properly focus on my study"). Despite these limitations, all aspects of the task are addressed, placing the response securely in Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter lacks proper paragraphing, being presented almost as a single block of text with inadequate spacing, which detracts from the overall visual and structural organization. While the progression of ideas is generally understandable, the flow is hindered by repetitive phrasing and a lack of cohesive devices. Basic connectors like "Moreover", "Furthermore", and "So" are used, but their mechanical application does not always establish smooth logical links between sentences. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly with pronoun use regarding the study commitments. Overall arrangement shows some coherence, but the absence of distinct paragraphs and mechanical cohesion cap this criterion at a Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The lexical range is limited and repetitive, relying heavily on basic vocabulary such as "study", "work", "hours", and "problems". There are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as writing "want to work continue" instead of "continue working", and "become hire poistion" instead of "obtain a higher position". Spelling errors also occur, such as "schudule" instead of "schedule" and "poistion" instead of "position". While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the basic message about changing work schedules for educational purposes, the frequent lexical inaccuracies and limited range restrict the score to a Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response exhibits a very limited range of grammatical structures, consisting mostly of simple and occasionally faulty complex sentences. There are frequent grammatical and punctuation errors, including run-on sentences with comma splices (e.g., "If i am working full time ,it is hard for me to focus on study because of this i faced a lot of problems..."). Capitalization errors are also prevalent, such as lower-case "i" used as a personal pronoun throughout the text. Despite these numerous errors, the core meaning remains mostly accessible to the reader, preventing a lower score, but the heavy error density prevents it from reaching Band 6.0.

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

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