Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-22

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 5.0)

Hello sir,

i would like to say you that i want reduce my working hours because of my part time study schedule.

I have been working in your company for two years and my study had stoped due to my job.i think it is necessory to keep my studying for my secure future.

I would like to please change my working schedule. I am very satisfying working with your firm,so i can't leave your company. It is very benificial for me if you change my working hours.

I have been working from mornig 8:am to 8:pm.now if you agree to me i want change my time from 8:am to 4 pm,because mt study classes starting to 4:30 pm to 8:00pm.

I think it will be very helpful for my career.I can grow up more in your company with more education.still i'm a hard working and punctual but after my garduation probabbly i can increase my post and salary.

Yours Obediently

Abbas

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. You explain why you want to reduce your working hours due to your part-time study schedule, you state which hours you would like to work, and you describe how your studies will benefit your employer by helping you grow and potentially increasing your value to the company. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a boss, although the salutation "Hello sir" is slightly informal. Overall, all parts of the task are adequately addressed and the purpose of the letter is clear.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter lacks proper paragraphing, as most of the text is grouped together into a single block or broken awkwardly into very short single-sentence lines. The progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by abrupt transitions and a lack of cohesive devices. For example, moving from your work history to your study schedule happens without clear linking phrases. While referencing and basic connectors like "so" and "because" are used, the overall structural organization is faulty and mechanical.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is generally basic and repetitive, with several spelling errors such as "stoped", "necessory", "benificial", "mornig", "mt", "garduation", and "probabbly". There are also awkward word choices and collocations, such as "increase my post and salary" instead of "advance my position". The range is limited but adequate to convey the basic message, but the frequent errors in spelling and word choice place this clearly in the lower-intermediate range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional and causal clauses with "because" and "if". However, there are numerous grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the text, including lowercase letters at the beginning of sentences ("i would like"), missing articles, tense inconsistencies ("my study had stoped"), and run-on sentences. Punctuation is frequently incorrect, with missing spaces after commas and periods. These errors occur consistently, though they do not completely impede overall communication.

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

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