Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-15

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 6.0)

Dear Sir,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing to you regarding the working hours. I was planning to study further about marketing and sales. I had always dreamt of becoming a business salesman. I just searched everything reagarding the college and other all things. So, it is my request to reduce my working hours so that I can study part time.

My classes time is early morning 9am to 1pm. After that I would be free to work in office. I was thinking to work after 2pm until rest of the day. But, I would also have my assignments to do at night. I want to manage both my work and study together.

I know it would be difficult for you to tackle this situation. But believe me it would benefit you and company in best way. Due to my extended knowledge, I would be able to make strategies according to the market and our sale would be increased. It would help our business to grow in market.

I hope you will reply soon.

Your's faithfully,

Avneet Sidhu

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The candidate successfully covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. First, the desire to reduce working hours is explained by mentioning the wish to study marketing and sales. Second, the preferred working hours are stated, proposing to work after 2pm for the rest of the day following morning classes. Third, the benefits to the employer are described, specifically noting that extended marketing knowledge will help formulate better strategies and increase sales. All parts of the task are adequately addressed, and a clear purpose is maintained throughout the letter. The tone is reasonably polite and appropriate for corresponding with a boss. While the ideas could have been slightly more extended for a higher band, the response meets all the core requirements of Task 1 effectively, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter exhibits a coherent overall arrangement with a clear beginning, middle, and end. The response is broken down into four distinct paragraphs, which helps organize the thoughts logically. Basic cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as "After that", "So", and "Due to my extended knowledge". However, some referencing is slightly clunky or repetitive, such as "other all things" and starting consecutive sentences with conjunctions. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate the introduction, the proposed hours, the business benefits, and the closing sign-off. Although cohesion is sometimes mechanical, the progression of information remains clear and easy to follow, supporting a solid Band 6 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate their basic message effectively. There are attempts to use less common items and topic-specific vocabulary related to employment and education, such as "reduce my working hours", "part time", and "strategies". However, there are noticeable word choice errors, awkward phrasing, and spelling mistakes, such as "reagarding" instead of "regarding", "other all things", and "business salesman" instead of simply a sales professional. These lexical inaccuracies and limitations prevent the response from reaching a higher band, yet the vocabulary remains sufficient to ensure communication is not impeded, fitting the criteria for Band 5.5 or a solid Band 6 with some lexical lapses.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like conditional and modal phrasing ("so that I can study", "I know it would be difficult"). There are several grammatical errors and awkward expressions throughout the text, such as "My classes time is early morning 9am to 1pm", "working hours" used without a clear article context initially, and the incorrect sign-off "Your's faithfully". Punctuation and verb tense consistency also show minor flaws. Despite these errors, the meaning is generally clear and does not impede overall communication. The frequency and nature of the errors place this writing firmly in the Band 5.5 range, reflecting a mix of accurate simple structures and frequent minor grammatical slips.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.