Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-23

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 Mr Simone,

I am writing this letter to submit a request in order to reduce my working hours as I am going to started my master studies in the field of CAD designing.

After completing bachelor study from Mechanical Engineering, I directly joined this current position - Manufacturing Engineer at Start workshop. So far I have already spent 3 years under your employment and accomplished several vital projects, I have realised that I should acquire further education in the field of CAD designing which will eventually help me in future growth.

Due to my study plan, it could not be possible to devote my full time to this job. Therefore, I would like to request you if you could reduce my working hours from 40 to 20 per week. According to my study curriculum, I will be occupied till 15:00 in working days. Afterwards, I can serve 4 hours from Monday to Friday to this company. With this approach, I can also work efficiently and provide fruitfull outcomes in my ongoing projects. Eventually, this master study also improve my skills which I can apply in this position and company can benefit from my education. I can certainly harness the designing team of the department, and could share the workload.

If you need any further information regarding my study play, please let me know. I am looking forwards to hearing from you soon.

Your sincerely,

Vishal

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response7.0
Coherence and Cohesion7.0
Lexical Resource6.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The candidate successfully covers all the required bullet points in the prompt. First, the letter clearly explains why the writer wants to reduce working hours (to pursue a master's degree in CAD designing). Second, the specific hours are outlined, proposing to work four hours daily from Monday to Friday after finishing studies at 15:00. Third, the response describes how the employer will benefit, noting that the advanced education will improve the candidate's skills, help harness the designing team, and share the workload effectively. The tone is consistently appropriate for a workplace communication to a boss, maintaining a respectful and professional register throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter is logically organised with a clear beginning, middle paragraphs addressing each prompt requirement, and an appropriate closing. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate different ideas, such as the background in the second paragraph and the specific proposal in the third. Cohesive devices like 'Therefore', 'Afterwards', and 'Eventually' are generally used well to guide the reader, although referencing is occasionally a bit mechanical ('With this approach...'). Overall, progression is clear throughout the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, incorporating appropriate professional terms related to engineering and the workplace, such as 'Manufacturing Engineer', 'ongoing projects', and 'workload'. There are some minor lexical or collocation slips, such as 'master studies' instead of 'master's studies', 'bachelor study' instead of 'bachelor's degree', and 'fruitfull' (spelling error) instead of 'fruitful'. However, these errors do not impede communication, and the vocabulary used is largely adequate and precise enough to convey the intended message.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional or causal relationships ('...which will eventually help me in future growth'). There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings present, such as 'as I am going to started' (tense error), 'it could not be possible' (inappropriate modal choice for current reality), and 'this master study also improve' (subject-verb agreement). Additionally, the sign-off 'Your sincerely' contains a minor grammatical slip ('Yours sincerely'). Nevertheless, these errors are non-systematic and communication is never impeded.

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

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