Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Dear Sir,

I am writing this letter for requesting about the reduction of working hours.

To explain the situation, I want to take study as a part time Which is not possible with full working hours since if I work full time while studying, I can't fully pay my attention. So, I think to get desire marks in education, I should do work as part time.

On top of that, My classes time is from 9a.m. to 1p.m. on first three weekdays, So I am planning that I can start my work at 2 p.m. on these days and I will come to work on weekends. On other side, rest of two weekdays, I would like to self study. This is only 6 month course, after that I prefer to work full time at your company.

I am very glad and flattered about this study because It will ehnace some technical information, sometime all employer find some issue with electronic devices and they have to wait for specific person to come which wastes their time and I think my part time studies will help them.

Thank you.

Best regards,

Manjinder Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You successfully covered all three bullet points required by the task instructions. You explained why you want to reduce your working hours (to take up a part-time study course and focus properly), stated clearly which hours you would like to work (start at 2 p.m. on the first three weekdays and work on weekends), and described how your studies would benefit your employer (by enhancing your technical knowledge to solve electronic device issues). The tone is appropriately polite and formal for a letter to a boss. However, some ideas are a bit repetitive and under-developed, placing your performance at a Band 6 level where all parts are addressed, but some details could be elaborated further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

Your letter has a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical letter structure with an appropriate greeting and sign-off. You used some linking phrases such as 'To explain the situation', 'On top of that', and 'On other side'. However, referencing and cohesive devices are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, 'On other side' is incorrect phrasing and should be 'On the other hand' or 'Additionally'. Paragraphing is attempted, but mixing multiple distinct points into single blocks reduces the clarity of progression. Cohesion requires more natural management to achieve a higher band.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrated an adequate vocabulary for the task, successfully communicating your meaning with terms like 'reduction', 'technical information', and 'full time'. You attempted some less common vocabulary, such as 'flattered' and 'ehnace' (enhance), but these attempts included word-choice and spelling errors. For example, using 'flattered' is inappropriate in this context; you likely meant 'glad and excited'. There are noticeable lexical inaccuracies that prevent the vocabulary from reaching Band 7. However, the meaning remains clear throughout the letter, which aligns well with the Band 6 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempted a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as conditional and subordinate clauses ('since if I work full time while studying, I can't fully pay my attention'). However, your writing contains frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'I am writing this letter for requesting' (should be 'to request') and 'My classes time is' (should be 'My class time is' or 'My classes are'). Punctuation and comma splices also affect readability. While these errors rarely impede overall communication, they demonstrate inconsistent control over complex structures, placing this response firmly in the Band 5 category.

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

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