Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Manager,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing this letter to request you my transition from full-time to casual guard position. I have been working with ASP Security for more than 2 years now and performed my duties to the best of my ability. But now It is urgent for me to focus on my studies again as for my permanent residency I have to complete my PSW course so that I can target health care draw for my PR. If I failed to study PSW, I might have to go back to India because my work permit is expiring next year in June 2027.

Therefore, I kindly request you to switch me for a casual guard position. My availability will be Monday, Wednesday and Friday from [redacted phone] hrs every week. This transition will be helpful for both of us. As you work from Monday to Friday I will be able to help you out with office tasks as well such as account management and other small tasks and you do not need to hire someone else for these tasks. Thank you for your consideration and support.

Your faithfully,

Pooja Mehra

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response covers all three bullet points required by the prompt effectively. You clearly explain why you want to reduce your working hours, stating that you need to focus on completing your PSW course for your permanent residency before your work permit expires in June 2027. You also specify the exact hours you would like to work, providing your availability on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 0700-1700 hrs. Furthermore, you successfully describe how your part-time studies would benefit your employer by offering to assist with office tasks such as account management. The tone is appropriate for a formal business letter to a manager. All parts of the task are well-addressed, fulfilling the criteria for a Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter maintains a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Ideas are logically sequenced, moving from the initial greeting and purpose of the letter to the justification, proposed hours, and mutual benefits. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction and the main body request. Cohesive devices are generally used well, with transition words such as 'Therefore' and 'As' helping to connect ideas, although some connections could be smoother. Referencing is mostly clear, though a few minor shifts in pronoun use occur. Overall, the structural flow supports easy reading, placing this comfortably in the Band 7.0 category.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with a sufficient range to allow some precision. You successfully use terms relevant to the workplace and immigration context, such as 'transition', 'full-time', 'casual guard position', and 'permanent residency'. However, there are some minor lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'request you my transition' instead of 'request a transition' and 'failed to study' instead of 'fail to complete'. Less common items are attempted, but occasional inaccuracies in word choice prevent the score from reaching a higher band. The vocabulary is functional and communicates your message clearly, fitting the Band 6.0 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating clauses with 'because', 'so that', and conditional structures like 'If I failed to study PSW, I might have to go back to India'. However, there are several grammatical errors and punctuation slips throughout the text, such as missing articles ('focus on my studies', 'focus on studies'), incorrect verb tense in the conditional ('If I failed' instead of 'If I fail'), and a missing comma after introductory phrases. There is also a sign-off error in 'Your faithfully' instead of 'Yours faithfully'. While these errors do not impede communication, their frequency keeps the score at Band 6.0.

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

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