Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-05

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 5.0)

Dear Sir,

describe how your part-time studies would benefit your employer

I am writing this letter regarding, shortening of my working hours, in view of studying part time.

I am planning to continue my further education, in Boston University, so I would required time to focus on my studies and travelling.

There are two batches of class, First batc starts at 9am to 12.30pm, another batch from 1.30pm to 4.30pm, I am preferring the later batch. As the customers are more in morning it would be difficult for you to manage alone, I would be working from 8am to 12pm.

I would need time to get ready and it's a 30 minutes journey on a bicycle.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

The response only partially addresses the task requirements. Furthermore, the length requirement is not met, as the student's response contains only 107 words, which is 43 words short of the 150-word minimum, and 10 words were mistakenly copied directly from the task prompt into the body of the letter. While the writer touches on why they want to reduce hours and mentions preferred working times, the ideas are very limited and under-developed. The benefit to the employer is minimally explored through a brief mention of customer volume, but overall, the bullet points are not fully satisfied, resulting in a partial and incomplete response to the letter prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some basic organisation in the letter, but it lacks a clear overall progression. The student uses paragraph breaks, but the flow between sentences is disjointed, and the relationships between ideas are not always clear. Cohesive devices are either missing, inadequate, or slightly repetitive, making the transition between the explanation of studies, class schedules, and work hours feel abrupt. To move to a higher band, the writer needs to ensure a smoother logical sequence throughout and employ a wider, more accurate range of cohesive devices to connect ideas effectively across paragraphs.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate for the task. The writer attempts some less common words and phrases, such as 'shortening of my working hours' and 'further education', but there are noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and phrasing, such as 'batc starts' and 'I am preferring the later batch'. These errors sometimes cause minor difficulty or hesitation for the reader. To achieve a higher score, the student should expand their lexical range, ensure greater precision in word selection, and eliminate spelling and word-form slips.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing displays a limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple or faulty complex sentences. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly regarding verb forms, prepositions, and punctuation, such as in 'so I would required time' and 'There are two batches of class, First batc starts'. These frequent errors can cause some difficulty for the reader. To improve, the writer needs to demonstrate better control over basic and complex grammatical structures, ensuring correct verb tense agreement and avoiding run-on sentences or comma splices.

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

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