Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · 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 7.5)

Dear Asad Sir,

I am writing to formally request a reduction in my working hours to pursue a part-time professional development course starting next month.

To manage both my job duties and my coursework, I would like to transition to working 24 hours per week. Specifically, I propose working full days from Tuesday through Thursday, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This schedule will allow me to attend required morning lectures on Mondays and Fridays while ensuring continuous coverage during our busiest midweek days.

This program directly focuses on advanced project management and data analysis, which are core areas for our department's upcoming goals. By gaining these specialized skills, I will be able to manage complex projects more efficiently, automate routine reporting, and deliver higher quality results. Furthermore, I will readily share these insights and best practices with the rest of the team to improve overall operational performance.

Thank you for considering my request.

Yours sincerely,

Alex

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response fully satisfies all requirements of the task. The student successfully addresses all bullet points by clearly explaining the reason for wanting to reduce working hours ("to pursue a part-time professional development course"), specifying the exact hours they wish to work ("working 24 hours per week... Tuesday through Thursday"), and describing the distinct benefits to the employer ("manage complex projects more efficiently, automate routine reporting"). The tone is consistently appropriate for a formal business letter, and the purpose is communicated with absolute clarity from the opening sentence. The ideas are well-developed and directly relevant without any digression. Therefore, this performance easily merits a high band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The letter demonstrates a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Each paragraph serves a distinct purpose: the first states the purpose of the letter, the second details the proposed schedule, the third outlines the benefits to the employer, and the final paragraph offers a polite sign-off. Cohesive devices are used naturally and accurately, such as "Specifically", "Furthermore", and "By gaining these specialized skills". Paragraphing is managed effectively, contributing to a seamless and professional reading experience. Referencing between sentences is precise, ensuring that information flows logically without any abrupt transitions.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

The student exhibits a wide, fluent, and flexible lexical range suitable for a professional context. Terms such as "formally request", "professional development course", "transition", "specialized skills", and "operational performance" demonstrate a strong command of vocabulary. Uncommon lexical items are used skillfully and appropriately with a high degree of precision in collocations and word choice. There are no noticeable lexical errors, and the vocabulary directly supports the clear and professional tone required for a workplace correspondence.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

The writing features a sophisticated mix of complex and simple sentence structures deployed with a high degree of accuracy. Examples such as participial phrases ("By gaining these specialized skills, I will be able to...") and well-controlled relative clauses demonstrate excellent syntactic flexibility. The vast majority of sentences are completely error-free, and punctuation is handled flawlessly throughout the entire letter. The grammatical control displayed is consistent with a high level of English proficiency.

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.