Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-18

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,

I am writing this letter to request to reduce my hours at work since I am going to join college for 2 year mechanical engineering course.

I am working as a lube technician right now but after this course i will be able to obtain a license to work as a mechanic in your shop. This is a full time course so I can work only 20 hours a week along with this study.

I am going to attend afternoon batches on Monday and Thursday and morning classes on rest of the weekdays.If it is possible to do so, I will prefer to work in morning to afternoon on Monday and Thursday.

This will not only benefits me, but also it will be positive for you because I will grasp more knowledge and skills which will further help me to mitigate issues at work.

I hope you will understand my situation and allows me to work part time. I will be very thankful to you.

Yours faithfully,

Jagjeet Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student covers all parts of the task well. The letter clearly explains why the writer wants to reduce hours ("since I am going to join college for 2 year mechanical engineering course"), specifies the required schedule ("attend afternoon batches on Monday and Thursday and morning classes on rest of the weekdays"), and describes the benefits to the employer ("obtain a license to work as a mechanic in your shop" and "help me to mitigate issues at work"). The purpose of the letter is consistently clear and the tone is appropriate for a workplace communication, earning a solid Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter maintains a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph serves a distinct purpose, moving smoothly from the main request to schedule details, benefits, and a polite closing. Cohesive devices are used adequately, such as "This will not only benefits me, but also it will be positive for you", although some transitional links are slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is clear and appropriate for a formal letter format, meeting the expectations for a Band 6.5 to 7.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like "lube technician", "mechanical engineering course", and "mitigate issues". However, there are some minor word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as "join college" instead of "enroll in college" and "benefits me" instead of "benefit me". Despite these occasional errors, the vocabulary is adequate to convey the intended message clearly, placing it comfortably in the Band 6.0 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional and relative clauses ("which will further help me..."). There are several noticeable grammatical errors, including missing articles ("for 2 year" instead of "for a 2-year"), a tense error ("will prefer to work in morning" instead of "in the mornings"), and agreement slips ("allows me" instead of "allow me"). However, these errors do not impede communication, supporting a Band 6.0 score.

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

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