Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-16

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 4.5)

Dear Balwinder

I want to inrform you that im doing study and work in your company but because my working hours is very much i can not have much time for my study and that thing effecting very badly on my study. In my recent exams my percentage is very low thats why i want less hours for work i want to focus on study more.

I like to work on 9:00 am to 4:30 pm this hours timing will not effect on my study can you arrange this timing for me it will be great for me if you can change this.

Also i want to inform you that my part time study if goes perfectly it will be lots of benefits on your company on my work because im studying the same course which your company working so if i know more things and i learned more it will be perfect for me and the company.

Your Faithfully

Gurgopal Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers all three bullet points required in the prompt. You successfully explain why you want to reduce your working hours due to studies and low exam grades, specify your preferred working hours from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm, and describe how your part-time studies will benefit your employer because you are studying a course relevant to the company's business. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive, which places this response at Band 5.0. The tone is appropriate for a workplace request, but the ideas need further extension and clearer support to reach higher bands.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The letter lacks proper paragraphing, running together as a single block of text with awkward spacing and formatting. Cohesive devices are minimal and basic, relying heavily on simple conjunctions like 'because' and 'and'. The progression of ideas is difficult to follow smoothly because sentences tend to run on without punctuation marks, such as periods or commas. For instance, 'I want to inrform you that im doing study and work in your company but because my working hours is very much i can not have much time...' demonstrates a lack of basic sentence boundaries. Overall organisation is weak, fitting the Band 4.0 descriptor.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, with frequent reliance on simple words like 'study', 'work', and 'company'. There are also noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as 'inrform' instead of 'inform', 'im' instead of 'I am', and 'percentage is very low' instead of 'grades are low'. While the message is understandable, the limited range and frequent inaccuracies constrain the lexical score to Band 4.0. To improve, you should incorporate more precise professional vocabulary and ensure correct word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The grammatical range is very limited, consisting mostly of run-on simple sentences linked by conjunctions without adequate punctuation. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('my working hours is very much', 'if goes perfectly it will be lots of benefits') and missing capitalisation for 'I'. Complex structures are attempted but are generally faulty and lack control over punctuation. Because errors are frequent and often cause strain for the reader, this performance aligns with Band 4.0.

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

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