Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-29

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 Manager,

I'm writing this letter to highlight the issue I'm currently dealing with. I have recently got enrolled in an IT certification programme to add more value in my education. As the college timing is from 8 am till 12 pm, these are effecting my working hours I had selected earlier.

I tried to change my college timing initially from morning to evening, but unfortunately they are not able to do this, as most of the students are willing to study in the morning and then they want to continue to their shift.

I request you kindly reduce my working hours from 10 AM till 6 PM to 1 PM till 6 PM, for a duration of 3 months as these hours suits my availability and I can finish the college by 12 PM easily. This certification is not only important for me but will also be benificial to the company as new technologies and methods will be taught in this course.

I hope my request for change in my working hours will be processed and company will allow me to continue both my course and the job at the same time.

Your sincerely,

Ranisa Ghafoor

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response covers all requirements of the prompt well. You clearly explain why you want to reduce your working hours due to your IT certification programme, state the exact hours you would like to work (from 1 PM till 6 PM), and describe how your part-time studies will benefit your employer by teaching you new technologies and methods. The tone is appropriately formal for a letter to a manager. Ideas are relevant and supported, matching the requirements for Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph serves a specific function: introducing the issue, explaining the college constraints, proposing the new schedule and benefits, and concluding politely. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, and basic cohesive devices such as 'initially', 'unfortunately', and 'not only... but will also' are employed effectively. The overall arrangement ensures smooth communication, supporting a Band 7.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'certification programme', 'duration', and 'benificial' (with a minor spelling error). While you attempt less common vocabulary, there are some minor word-choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'got enrolled' instead of 'enrolled' and 'these are effecting' instead of 'affecting'. However, communication is never impeded, placing your lexical control solidly at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You make use of a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional and multi-clause structures ('As the college timing is from... these are effecting...'). There are some noticeable grammatical errors and typos, including 'effecting' instead of 'affecting', 'benificial' instead of 'beneficial', and 'Your sincerely' instead of 'Yours sincerely'. Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear throughout, demonstrating the characteristics of a Band 6.0 performance.

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

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