Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-14

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 Sir,

I am writing to inform you that I will be joining an IT course from next month and because of that I have to attend class 2 days per week. I just wanted to request about reducing my shift for a couple of months.

I will be attending the class on wednesdays and fridays. The remaining 3 days are for the office work. I am open to work on Saturdays as well but I can only come for work in the morning. My classes are for 12 hours a day and I need time to revise the information as well on regular basis and because of that I can work from 9 AM to 5 PM. This short course will be beneficial for our company as we have less IT workers and I can cover them during vacations as those days will be busy in winter.

I hope you will allow me to work part time.

Sincerely,

Pan

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all three bullet points required in the prompt. You successfully explain why you want to reduce your working hours by mentioning your upcoming IT course and the need for study and revision time. You state which hours you would like to work, specifying Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturday mornings, along with working from 9 AM to 5 PM on those days. Furthermore, you describe how your part-time studies will benefit your employer by pointing out that your new IT skills will help cover the department during busy winter vacations. The tone is appropriately formal for a workplace letter, and the main points are clear and easy for the boss to follow. To reach a higher band, ideas could be expanded slightly with more precise details, but all core task requirements are effectively fulfilled.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter maintains a clear overall arrangement and follows a logical structure for a professional request. You appropriately open with a standard salutation and purpose statement, followed by specific details in the body paragraphs, and conclude with a polite sign-off. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'and because of that' and 'The remaining 3 days', though some transitions feel slightly repetitive or conversational. Paragraphing is used to separate the main ideas, although combining some of the shorter sentences would improve the flow and progression of the writing. Referencing is generally clear, allowing the reader to easily track your schedule proposals and justifications.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully communicating your message with terms like 'joining an IT course', 'reducing my shift', and 'beneficial for our company'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are occasional awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'IT workers' instead of 'IT staff' or 'IT professionals', and 'cover them during vacations' rather than 'cover for colleagues'. You attempt some less common expressions, but minor inaccuracies in phrasing prevent the response from achieving a higher lexical band. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate throughout the letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating conjunctions like 'because of that' and subordinate clauses to connect your thoughts. There are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues, particularly run-on sentences joined by multiple coordinating conjunctions, such as 'My classes are for 12 hours a day and I need time to revise the information as well on regular basis and because of that I can work from 9 AM to 5 PM.' Preposition and article errors also appear occasionally, such as 'on wednesdays and fridays' (missing capitalization) and 'for the office work'. Despite these errors, they rarely impede overall communication, and meaning remains clear.

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

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