Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-26

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 5.5)

Dear Sir,

This is to inform you that i have been willing to reduce my working hours in order to study part time. I've been noticing a lack of attention towards my studies and has not been attending any important lectures in my college.I have also crossed timelines for submitting my initial projects.Certainly, I also value my work and i am extremely dedicated to my job as well.

To,be precise i would like to work from Monday to Friday in the week days from 6 am to 10 am which will be considered as a part time. This schedule will work great for me and will be equally benificial to my career and professional life.

I, am studying HR in business Management which is likely to have me learning and developing more skills and would a benifit for your employer.Some of the projects are highly involved with managing Key Result Area Analysis and Project Analysis which is practiced in our organisation. I am sure that this accurate time of accepting study while, i earn and learn will be a scope for both my work and my personal life.

Keenly,looking forward to your positive response.

Yours Sincerely,

Sheeba

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The candidate successfully addresses all parts of the task. Firstly, she explains why she wants to reduce her working hours, mentioning her need to focus on college studies and missed project timelines. Secondly, she clearly specifies the hours she would like to work, stating 'from Monday to Friday... from 6 am to 10 am'. Finally, she describes how her part-time studies will benefit her employer by mentioning that her HR in Business Management course involves Key Result Area Analysis and Project Analysis, which are directly applicable to the organisation. All bullet points are covered adequately, and the tone of the formal letter is appropriate throughout, meeting the requirements of a general training task 1 response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter exhibits a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression of ideas. The response is divided into logical paragraphs, beginning with the purpose of the letter, moving into specific scheduling details, and concluding with professional benefits and a sign-off. However, paragraphing and referencing are occasionally impacted by mechanical errors, such as the awkward placement of commas and conjunctions ('To,be precise', 'I, am studying'). Cohesive devices are used, but their management could be smoother. Overall, the organisation is clear enough to guide the reader through the letter without confusion, earning a solid band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The candidate uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms such as 'professional life', 'Key Result Area Analysis', and 'organisation'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice inaccuracies throughout the text. For example, 'benificial' is misspelled, and phrases like 'a scope for both my work' demonstrate awkward collocation. While less common vocabulary is attempted, these vocabulary and spelling errors occasionally surface. Nonetheless, the meaning remains clear throughout the letter, which comfortably places the lexical resource at a band 6.0 level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt to use relative clauses and compound sentences. However, there are frequent grammatical errors in punctuation, capitalization, and subject-verb agreement. Examples include lower-case 'i' pronouns ('i have been willing'), incorrect auxiliary verbs ('has not been attending' following a plural subject 'I'), and excessive comma splices ('To,be precise i would like', 'I, am studying'). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they persist across the text, preventing the score from reaching a higher band. The control of grammar is adequate for a band 6.0.

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