Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear Mr. Matthew,

I am writing this letter to you to inform about my course in which I enrolled myself, for which I need to reduce my working hours so that I can study for my course. Currently i am working 6 days a week except Sunday. My classes will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday from 3pm to 7pm in the afternoon. I can work till 1pm on Tuesday and Wednesday. Other days are fine with me, I can do my studies in the night.

I took course of advance excel tools which can be useful in our data analysis in our organisation so that we can analyse data quickly in less time which will reduce our efforts to analyse data and we can work on other things in that time.

I hope you can understand the scenario and allow me to reduce my working hours.

I will wait for your reply.

Thanking you

Yours sincerely,

Martha

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. You successfully explain that you want to reduce your working hours for a course, state your proposed working hours on Tuesday and Wednesday, and describe how your part-time studies in advanced excel tools will benefit your employer. However, the ideas are relatively brief and could be extended further for a higher band. For example, the explanation of the Excel course benefits is somewhat repetitive, stating 'so that we can analyse data quickly... which will reduce our efforts'. Nonetheless, all parts of the task are adequately addressed, and the tone is appropriately formal for a letter to a boss. This performance aligns well with Band 6.0 descriptors, where all parts of the task are addressed, although some aspects could be more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement and clearly follows a standard business letter format. The progression of ideas is generally clear, moving from the main purpose of the letter to the specific hours, the benefits for the company, and finally a closing statement. However, paragraphing is somewhat disjointed; the second paragraph is a single long block containing multiple distinct ideas, and subsequent paragraphs are very short, consisting of only one sentence each. Cohesive devices are also basic or occasionally repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'so that'. Referencing is mostly clear, but the logical flow between sentences could be smoother with better transition markers. This corresponds to a Band 6.0 level of coherence and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to successfully convey your message to your employer. You attempt some less common vocabulary related to the workplace and studying, such as 'organisation', 'data analysis', and 'advance excel tools'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as writing 'inform about my course in which I enrolled myself' instead of 'inform you about a course I have enrolled in'. Additionally, there are minor awkward phrasings like 'I took course of advance excel tools'. While these errors do not impede communication, they restrict the vocabulary score to Band 6.0, which reflects an adequate range with some inaccuracies in word choice and spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as using subordinate clauses introduced by 'so that' and 'which will reduce'. However, control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are several run-on sentences and punctuation slips, such as missing commas or periods, and awkward phrasing like 'Currently i am working 6 days a week except Sunday' (where 'i' is uncapitalised and the expression is slightly clunky). Grammatical errors are present—for instance, missing articles ('I took course of' instead of 'I took a course in') and awkward preposition use. Because these errors occur frequently alongside mixed structures but rarely impede communication, this falls comfortably into the Band 6.0 category.

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

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