Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-04

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 sir,

Good morning, I'm writing to inform you that, In November i will be starting my Masters in Project Management that due to this, I will not not able to work full time. because of my classes. this course will be helping me in my current role at work and i can perform my project without any issues and efficiantly. So from starting this november 1st i cannot work on thursday and wednesday 8 hours of shifts because of my scheduled in-person classes.This course will benefit me and our business in differnent way. firstly, i will me able to contact new business employers from where our company can have new contracts. moreover i will be able to learn new skills that can help to grow our company.

I hope you will understand the importance of this course and allow me to have new schedule accoring to my availability.

Sincearly,

Nikita

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly explain why you want to reduce your hours by stating that you are starting a Masters in Project Management in November. You also specify the exact hours you would like to work by mentioning that you cannot work eight-hour shifts on Thursdays and Wednesdays. Furthermore, you describe how your studies will benefit your employer, noting that you will be able to contact new business employers and learn new skills to grow the company. However, the development of these ideas is uneven. While the explanation for the schedule change is clear, the benefits to your employer are somewhat generalized and lack detailed elaboration. To reach a higher level, you should extend and support your ideas with more specific details, such as how the project management skills will directly apply to your daily tasks at the office.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement with a clear purpose visible from the beginning to the end. You make use of some basic cohesive devices, such as 'moreover' and 'firstly', to connect your ideas about the benefits of the course. However, paragraphing is somewhat neglected, as the body of the letter is compressed into a single block of text rather than being separated into logical sections for your reasons, hours, and company benefits. Additionally, referencing and transitions are at times mechanical or abrupt, particularly in sentences like 'that due to this, I will not not able to work full time. because of my classes.' To improve in this area, you should ensure that each distinct point is given its own paragraph and that cohesive devices are used more smoothly to guide the reader through your letter.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, successfully communicating your message about reducing working hours and studying part-time. You attempt some less common vocabulary related to a professional and academic context, such as 'Masters in Project Management', 'current role', and 'contracts'. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice, word form, and spelling throughout the text, including 'efficiantly', 'differnent', and 'accoring'. Furthermore, some phrases are awkward or unnatural, such as 'contact new business employers' where 'clients' or 'partners' might be more appropriate. These errors do not completely impede communication, but they restrict your score. To achieve a higher band, you need to expand your lexical range, improve your spelling accuracy, and use words with greater precision and natural collocation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt to construct detailed sentences with clauses, such as 'I'm writing to inform you that, In November i will be starting my Masters in Project Management that due to this, I will not not able to work full time.' However, there are frequent errors in grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. You struggle with punctuation and capitalization, evidenced by lowercase 'i' and commas placed incorrectly before clauses. There are also errors in verb patterns and auxiliary usage, such as 'I will not not able' and 'i will me able to'. These errors require the reader to occasionally pause, though communication remains mostly intact. To reach a higher score, you should focus on reducing basic grammatical mistakes, improving sentence boundaries, and ensuring accurate control over auxiliary verbs and capitalization.

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

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