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 Billy

Hope you are doing well.

I'm writing to request you for reduction in my working hours at kingdom speciality clinic as a general surgeon. I have been working here for the past 2 years and I really appreciate the knowledge and experience I have acquired in this 2 years.

As you know undoubtedly, I have recently cleared the license examination in Psychological studies for my further and now I would like to study a part time masters in Psychology department. This part time study would benefit my future career and helps me to succeed.

As part of my educational curriculum, this degree required to attend classes every day afternoon from 3PM to 6PM. I would work in the morning hours and requesting you to reduce the working hours in the afternoon time. This could be helpful for me to gain knowledge and experience in new departments.

I hope this part time study would be a great opportunity to benefit both our company and me. Once I done with the studies, I can contribute my knowledge and experience in the development of our company by working in multiple departments and taking care of the patient, helps to reduce the cost of labour and it can be helpful to bring additional income and business.

Kind Regards

Dr Jagadeesh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The candidate successfully covers all parts of the letter prompt. The response clearly explains the motivation behind the request to reduce working hours, which is to pursue a part-time master's degree in psychology. Specific hours are also provided, stating a preference to work morning hours and take classes every afternoon from 3 PM to 6 PM. Furthermore, the candidate outlines how this educational pursuit would benefit the employer, highlighting future contributions to multiple departments and patient care, as well as cost reduction and business growth. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a boss. Overall, the task is fully addressed with well-developed ideas, meeting the requirements for a band 7.5 to 8.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organised with a clear beginning, middle, and end, following standard business letter conventions. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct points, such as the introduction, reasons for studying, scheduling details, and benefits to the company. Cohesive devices are generally handled well, with transitions like 'As you know undoubtedly' and 'As part of my educational curriculum.' However, there are minor cohesion and referencing issues, such as the awkward phrasing in 'Once I done with the studies,' which disrupts the natural flow slightly. Overall, the organisational structure is clear and maintains progression throughout.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms such as 'general surgeon,' 'license examination,' and 'educational curriculum.' Less common items and phrasings are attempted, showing an awareness of formal register. However, there are notable word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as writing 'request you for reduction' instead of 'request a reduction,' 'Psychological studies for my further,' and 'taking care of the patient, helps to reduce the cost of labour.' These occasional lexical errors place the performance firmly at the band 6.0 level, as they show an adequate range but contain noticeable slips.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional and relative clauses. There are several instances of good control, but grammar and punctuation errors persist throughout the text. Examples of errors include 'Once I done with the studies' (missing verb), 'this degree required to attend classes' (tense error), and 'requesting you to reduce' (fragmented subject/verb agreement). While these errors do not impede overall communication—the meaning remains clear—they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from reaching a higher band. The control of grammar is characteristic of a solid band 6 performance.

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

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