Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Mr Patel,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am Hiral Prajapati, working as an Operational Analyst in Global Control Operations. I am writing this letter to request a reduction in my hours at work from 25-30 hours due to the part-time course I have enrolled in at Yorkville University.

The primary reason for reducing my hours is that I will not be able to dedicate my full time to work due to my Certified Financial Analyst course. The course requires a lot more attention as it includes both practical and theoretical study. A good amount of dedicated time is required for studying and then preparing for the examination in the next few months.

The only days I will be available to work will be from Monday to Thursday. My classes are conducted on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. My hours of work will be around 25-30 hours only.

This course will benefit me a lot in my current work as well. Likewise, the subjects like Corporate Finance, Operations Research, Leadership Skills, Financial Management and many more in the next term will help to build my creative thinking, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. With the help of the assignments, projects and research, knowledge will play an important role in solving critical problems at work.

I would therefore be grateful if you could respond to my request, and then the later changes can be made to my schedule to my timesheet on the workday as well.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon

Yours faithfully,

Hiral Prajapati

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully covers all bullet points of the prompt, establishing an appropriate semi-formal tone and purpose from the beginning. You clearly explain why you wish to reduce your working hours due to your enrolled course at Yorkville University, specify your intended availability from Monday to Thursday, and describe how the studies will benefit your employer through subjects like Corporate Finance and Operations Research. The response exhibits many characteristics of a higher band with fully extended ideas, yet sits firmly within the current band because certain sections, such as the explanation of working hours, tend to be slightly repetitive rather than fully elaborated across the entire letter. Overall, your purpose is maintained clearly throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

Your letter shows a clear overall arrangement with logical progression from stating the purpose to outlining your schedule and workplace benefits. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas, such as separating your course details from your proposed working days. Cohesion is generally well managed, though some cohesive devices and referencing feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent reliance on 'This course' and 'The course' to start sentences. To reach a higher level, you could employ a wider and more flexible variety of linking words and transitional phrases to connect your sentences and paragraphs more fluidly without relying on formulaic transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'Operational Analyst', 'theoretical study', and 'problem-solving skills'. There are occasional awkward word choices and slight inaccuracies in collocation, for instance writing 'timesheet on the workday as well' rather than more natural workplace phrasing. However, these minor lexical slips do not impede communication at all. To achieve a higher band, you should incorporate a more flexible and precise range of uncommon vocabulary with a sharper awareness of style and natural collocation suited to professional correspondence.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

Your writing displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating a solid foundation in sentence structure. You show good control over verb tenses and clause structures when discussing your studies and work availability. While there are some minor errors in grammar and punctuation—such as awkward phrasing in 'from 25-30 hours due to the part-time course' and minor prepositional issues—these errors rarely impede communication and the majority of your sentences remain understandable. To move to a higher band, you would need to produce a higher frequency of error-free complex sentences and exercise tighter control over punctuation and prepositional patterns.

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

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