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 Curtis,

I am writing to request to reduce my working hours for next one month as I am start learning financial management course from 15th of September.

I wanted to learn the international financing management and our organization providing classes for this course in our company during our working time. It is online based course which makes it more convenient for me to attend it any time during my shift.

I am thinking to take the evening classes from Monday to Friday. My regular working hours are from 9:00am to 5:00pm. Therefore, I would like to invest my last hour in the class to get brief knowledge of the concepts. In addition, I will ensure you that all my important tasks and duties will be complete on time.

There are many benefits of taking this course as I helps me to understand international financing strategies which we can apply in our local business to get more profits and value.

Looking forward for your acceptance for this matter.

Yours faithfully.

Jashan

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter covers all bullet points required by the task prompt. You effectively explain why you want to reduce your working hours, specifically stating that you are starting a financial management course. You also clearly state which hours you would like to work, proposing to use your last working hour from Monday to Friday to attend the online classes. Furthermore, you describe how the part-time studies will benefit your employer, mentioning that the skills learned in international financing strategies can be applied in your local business to increase profits and value. The tone is appropriate for a formal business communication, and the purpose of the letter is evident throughout, fully meeting the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organised with a clear beginning and ending. Ideas progress reasonably well from stating the request, specifying the timing, and finally explaining the benefits to the company. Paragraphing is utilised appropriately to separate different points, such as the course details and the company benefits. However, cohesion is occasionally mechanical or slightly awkward, such as in the transition 'Therefore, I would like to invest my last hour...' or the phrasing in the conclusion. Nonetheless, referencing and paragraph structure remain clear enough to guide the reader effortlessly through the text, demonstrating a clear logical organisation.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for a workplace request letter, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'convenient', 'strategies', and 'organization'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'request to reduce' instead of 'request a reduction', 'start learning financial management course' instead of 'starting a financial management course', and 'I helps me' instead of 'it helps me'. Spelling is generally accurate, but some minor slips in grammar tied to vocabulary choice occur. The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate your message, though precision is occasionally lacking.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar. You successfully use subordinate clauses, such as 'as I am start learning' and 'which makes it more convenient'. However, there are several noticeable grammatical errors throughout the text, including tense and verb form mistakes ('am start learning', 'our organization providing', 'tasks and duties will be complete', 'as I helps me'). Punctuation and sentence boundaries are generally sound, and despite these errors, communication is rarely impeded, allowing the reader to fully understand your message.

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

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