Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear Sir Mueen Awais,

I am writing to inform you that I can 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 to make it ensure 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 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.

Yours sincerely,

Alex hail

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The candidate successfully covers all parts of the task prompt in a clear and appropriate manner. The letter begins by explaining the reason for reducing working hours, stating a desire to pursue a part-time study course starting next month. Furthermore, the writer clearly outlines the preferred working schedule of 24 hours per week across Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and effectively describes the benefits to the employer by mentioning digital marketing skills that will help improve social media presence and attract customers. The tone is appropriately formal for a workplace request, and the overall purpose is fully achieved, meeting all bullet points of the task instructions effectively and demonstrating good development of ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organised with a clear overarching progression from the initial request to the proposed schedule, the benefits for the company, and the polite sign-off. Paragraphing is used appropriately, dividing the response into logical chunks corresponding to the task's requirements. Cohesive devices are employed adequately throughout the text, such as transitional phrases like 'To balance my work responsibilities...' and 'I believe this course will bring benefits...'. While referencing and cohesion are generally clear and functional, there is occasional slight awkwardness in flow, preventing it from reaching higher bands, but the overall structure remains coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate and functional range of vocabulary suited to a formal workplace request. Appropriate terms such as 'responsibilities', 'schedule', 'efficiently', and 'digital marketing' are used correctly. However, the range remains somewhat standard and lacks the more flexible or sophisticated uncommon lexical items characteristic of higher bands. There are minor unnatural expressions, such as 'while to make it ensure about, I am present', which show some strain in word choice and phrasing, but these vocabulary limitations do not impede communication or prevent the reader from understanding the main message.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating a reasonable attempt at syntactic variety. For example, the sentence 'To balance my work responsibilities and my studies, I would like to reduce my schedule to 24 hours per week' is well-constructed and grammatically sound. However, the writer encounters difficulties with more complex structures, notably in the awkward and ungrammatical clause 'while to make it ensure about, I am present during our busiest workdays.' This error in word order and verb form disrupts the flow. Despite some recurring grammatical errors, the majority of the sentences remain clear, and meaning is generally maintained without causing significant comprehension issues for the reader.

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

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