Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-28

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 Mark,

I hope you are well. I'm writing today to formally request for a reduction in my working hours. The reason for this is that I have recently joined a part-time AI study course. The course requires me to study for 12 hours a week for six months.

At the moment I am working full time, which is 30 hours a week. I would like you to reduce 3 hours a day from Monday to Thursday. To compensate this, I can work overtime on Friday. This reduction will be temporary till the end of the course.

Also, this course will be beneficial not only for myself, also for the company because our design department is already focused on the adaptation of latest AI technologies. It can also help us build a new infrastructure for the HR department.

I will be highly obliged if you accept this request.

Looking forward to your response.

Kind Regards,

William

Head of Design

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all parts of the prompt in a clear and appropriate tone suitable for a General Training letter to a boss. William clearly explains why he wants to reduce his hours, mentioning his part-time AI study course and its weekly time commitment. He also specifies the exact schedule changes he is proposing, such as reducing three hours a day from Monday to Thursday and making up for it on Friday. Furthermore, he describes how these studies will benefit his employer by mentioning the adaptation of the latest AI technologies and building a new infrastructure for the HR department. All bullet points are fully addressed, and the purpose of the letter is evident throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter maintains a clear logical organisation and progression from the opening statement to the closing remarks. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with distinct paragraphs for the purpose of the letter, the scheduling details, and the business benefits. Cohesive devices are generally well managed, although some transitions like 'Also' and 'To compensate this' are slightly basic. Paragraphs flow well and the progression of ideas is easy to follow, supporting a coherent overall arrangement.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'formally request', 'temporary', 'infrastructure', and 'compensation'. There are a few minor lexical inaccuracies or awkward collocations, such as 'compensate this' instead of 'compensate for this' or 'adaptation of latest AI technologies' lacking an article. However, the vocabulary used is functional and appropriate for a workplace communication, and these minor slips do not impede overall communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

William uses a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional or relative clauses such as 'The course requires me to study for 12 hours a week for six months.' There are some minor grammatical errors, such as 'request for a reduction' where 'request a reduction' is more natural, and a correlative conjunction slip in 'not only for myself, also for the company' missing the word 'but'. However, punctuation is generally sound, and the majority of sentences are clear and grammatically controlled.

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