Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-17

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 Sir Mueen Awais,

I am writing to inform you that I wish to reduce my working hours because I want to study a part-time course starting next month.

To balance my work responsibilities and my studies, I would like to reduce my schedule to 24 hours per week. I propose working on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This schedule will allow me to attend my university classes on Mondays and Fridays while ensuring about I am present during our busiest workdays.

I believe this course will bring benefits to our company. I will study digital marketing, which will help me improve our company's social media pages and attract more customers. The major skills I learn will help me work more efficiently and support our team better.

Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Alex Hail

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response successfully covers all parts of the prompt in a natural and appropriate manner for a General Training Task 1 letter. You clearly explain why you wish to reduce your working hours due to a part-time course starting next month. You also effectively state your proposed schedule of 24 hours per week, specifically mentioning Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Furthermore, you describe how the digital marketing studies will directly benefit your employer by helping to improve company social media pages and attract customers. The tone is polite, professional, and entirely appropriate for communicating with a manager. All requirements of the prompt are fully met with relevant and well-developed ideas, earning a solid band 8.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter exhibits a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Ideas are grouped naturally into well-defined paragraphs that follow the structure of the prompt. Opening and closing conventions are handled correctly, starting with 'Dear Sir Mueen Awais,' and concluding appropriately. Cohesive devices are used effectively to link sentences and ideas, such as 'To balance my work responsibilities...' and 'This schedule will allow me to...'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, guiding the reader smoothly through your explanation, schedule, and company benefits. There is a clear logical flow from the initial request down to the final sign-off, which meets the criteria for a band 7.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is sufficient for the task and allows you to communicate your message with precision. You successfully use appropriate lexical items related to employment and study, such as 'working hours', 'responsibilities', 'schedule', and 'digital marketing'. While the vocabulary is largely standard and functional rather than highly sophisticated, it conveys your meaning clearly without noticeable awkwardness. There are occasional straightforward word choices, such as 'bring benefits to our company' instead of 'benefit our company directly', but these do not impede communication. The control of word choice and collocation is appropriate for a band 6.5 level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the infinitive clause in 'I am writing to inform you that I wish to reduce...' and the participial phrase in '...while ensuring about I am present during our busiest workdays.' Most sentences are clear and grammatically sound, though there is one minor grammatical slip with the extra preposition in 'ensuring about I am present'. Punctuation and verb tenses are handled very well overall, and your control is generally strong enough to support clear communication. This performance reflects a solid command of grammar warranting a band 7.0.

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