Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-20

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 Mr, Dhan,

I am writing a letter to request you that can you please reduce my working hours only for upcoming 2 months as I need some time to prepare for my exam.

I want to reduce my working hours because, I need a time for preparation of my IELTS studies and I need to finish it before this Christmas then only I can apply for my master course.

Currently, I am working as a full-time employee but I would like to change that and want to work for only 20 hours a week as a part-time employee. Moreover, I would like to work on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday so rest of the week I can focus and concentrate on my exam.

I can say after finishing my IELTS exam I am having a good speech and knowledge about the English language so I can handle British clients and able to work with them which is beneficial for company and other employees.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration.

Yours faithfully,

Kaira Boss

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter covers all three bullet points outlined in the task instructions. You successfully explain why you want to reduce your working hours (to study and prepare for the IELTS exam before Christmas), specify which hours you would like to work (20 hours a week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday), and describe how your part-time studies would benefit your employer (improved English language skills to handle British clients). The tone is appropriately formal for a workplace request, and your purpose is clear throughout. While some points are slightly repetitive, all necessary information is present and well communicated, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.5 or 7.0. We will award a solid Band 6.5 as some ideas could be extended more thoroughly.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organised with a clear beginning and ending. You use standard paragraphing to separate your introduction, reasons, schedule details, and benefits to the employer. Cohesive devices such as 'Currently', 'Moreover', and 'after finishing' help guide the reader through your arguments. However, some transitions are a bit mechanical or awkward, such as 'then only I can apply' and 'I can say after finishing my IELTS exam I am having a good speech'. While referencing and paragraphing work adequately to maintain coherence, these minor mechanical issues place the response firmly in the Band 6 category.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'full-time employee', 'part-time employee', 'consideration', and 'beneficial'. There are, however, some lexical and collocational inaccuracies. For instance, writing 'I am writing a letter to request you that can you please...' is overly wordy and unnatural. Additionally, phrases like 'I need a time' (uncountable noun misuse) and 'good speech and knowledge' (awkward collocation for English proficiency) limit the score. Despite these errors, meaning is never obscured, which fits the Band 6 descriptors for lexical resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

Your letter features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt at varied structures, such as conditional ideas and multi-clause sentences. However, there are several grammatical errors and punctuation lapses throughout the text. Examples include direct question phrasing embedded incorrectly inside a statement ('request you that can you please reduce...'), missing articles ('for company'), and comma splices ('Currently, I am working as a full-time employee but I would like to change that and want to work for only 20 hours a week as a part-time employee'). These errors do not impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score, matching the criteria for Band 6.0.

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

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