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 candidate has fully and effectively addressed all parts of the prompt. The letter opens with a clear explanation of the desire to reduce working hours to pursue professional development, specifically citing a part-time course starting next month. The second bullet point is comprehensively answered by proposing a precise schedule of 24 hours per week, covering Tuesdays through Thursdays from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, while explaining how this accommodates Monday and Friday lectures. Finally, the third point is expertly handled by describing tangible benefits for the employer, such as improved project management, automated reporting, and knowledge sharing with the wider team. The tone is appropriate for a professional request to a manager, and ideas are fully developed and extended without any omissions, earning a solid band 8.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The letter demonstrates a clear and logical progression of ideas from start to finish. Each paragraph serves a distinct purpose: the introduction states the purpose of the letter, the second paragraph outlines the proposed hours, the third details the employer benefits, and the final paragraph provides a polite sign-off. Cohesive devices are used naturally and unobtrusively, such as 'To manage both', 'Specifically', and 'Furthermore'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, and referencing throughout the text is clear. The logical flow and organizational structure meet the criteria for a high band score.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

The candidate displays a wide, fluent, and flexible range of vocabulary suited to a professional context. Terms such as 'formally request', 'professional development', 'transition', 'continuous coverage', and 'operational performance' demonstrate skilful use of less common lexical items. Word choice and collocations are accurate, with only occasional minor slips. The vocabulary is precise and allows the message to be conveyed with clarity and sophistication. The student successfully avoids overly repetitive phrasing, maintaining a natural and formal register throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The writing exhibits a wide range of complex grammatical structures used with a high degree of accuracy. The majority of sentences are error-free, featuring well-constructed participial phrases and subordinate clauses, such as 'By gaining these specialized skills, I will be able to manage...' and '...while ensuring continuous coverage during our busiest midweek days.' Control of punctuation and tense consistency is strong. Only very occasional errors or slight inappropriacies might be found, which never impede communication or comprehension, comfortably placing this response in the band 8 category.

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