Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-27

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. Smith,

I am writing this letter to request you to diminishes my working hours from 40 hours to 30 hours per week, next month, because I want to pursue a part time study.

I am joing a part time 'Bussiness management' course, due to which I would not be able to work fulltime for around 2 months. The programme is starting next month on 2nd of October and will end on 28th of November. The classes will be held in the afternoor around 2pm till 4 pm. Consequently, I would not be able to work between that period. I could assure you that I would finish all my tasks on time and my studies would not affect my work and performance.

Furthermore, through this programme, I will be able to aquire new skills such as leadership skills, problem handling, dealing with customers and handling multiple projects. I can use these skill at work and this would make my work more effective. Moreover, I can share my new skills with my collegues and this would help in overall productivity of employees.

Thank you for considering my request and looking forward for a positive answer from you.

Yours faithfully,

Ramneet kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The candidate has successfully addressed all three bullet points required by the task instructions. The letter explains the reason for reducing working hours clearly by mentioning the desire to pursue a part-time study programme. It also specifies the exact hours and dates, stating the course runs from 2nd October to 28th November and the classes will be held in the afternoon from 2 pm to 4 pm. Furthermore, the response describes how the studies will benefit the employer by acquiring new leadership and problem-handling skills that can be shared with colleagues to boost overall productivity. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a boss. Overall, the task is fully covered, earning a solid band score for task achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter is logically organised with a clear beginning, body paragraphs that address individual bullet points, and a polite sign-off. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas, such as the reason for the request, the timing details, and the employer benefits. Cohesive devices like 'consequently', 'furthermore', and 'moreover' are used to connect ideas, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical. Referencing throughout the letter is generally clear and easy to follow, maintaining a coherent progression of information from the opening request to the closing statement.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with attempts to use less common items such as 'productivity', 'programme', and 'leadership skills'. However, there are several noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as 'diminishes' instead of 'diminish' or 'reduce', 'joing' instead of 'joining', 'Bussiness' instead of 'Business', and 'afternoor' instead of 'afternoon'. Furthermore, 'collegues' is misspelled. Despite these errors, the intended meaning remains clear to the reader, placing the response firmly in the band 6 category for lexical resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional and subordinate clauses ('due to which I would not be able to work...'). However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several verb form and agreement errors, notably 'request you to diminishes my working hours' and 'between that period' instead of 'during that period'. Additionally, there is a minor error in capitalization at the sign-off ('Ramneet kaur'). While these errors are noticeable and detract from precision, they do not impede overall communication.

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