Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-06

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 Sarah,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing to request for reducing working hours, as I would like to study part time.

I would like to pursue my post graduation in pharmacy, therefore, I want to reduce working hours. The classes are from Monday to Friday, so I need to reduce working hours.

I would appreciate it if you could provide me with an evening work. As per my classes, I would like to work from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. However, I would be happy if you could provide me with an extra work.

You would also feel delighted after listening the benefits of my study. As I have enrolled myself in Pharmaceutics, it would be beneficial for our company because in this field I will be able to learn about the advanced preparation methods of noval drug delivery system.

I would be grateful if you could take my request into consideration. I look forward to get your positive feedback.

Yours sincerely,

Amritpal Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all parts of the prompt, addressing the reason for reducing hours, the specific schedule desired, and the employer benefits. You establish a clear purpose right away by explaining that you wish to pursue a postgraduate degree in pharmacy. However, some ideas show signs of under-development, particularly the explanation of the specific working hours and the benefits to the company. For instance, the mention of working from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. is quite direct and lacks extension about how your core duties will still be covered. Similarly, the benefit regarding 'advanced preparation methods of noval drug delivery system' touches upon a relevant point, but it remains somewhat limited in expansion. To move further up, you need to fully develop every bullet point with extended explanations and richer details while maintaining a natural tone.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement with a clear, logical progression of ideas from stating the request to discussing the schedule, explaining the benefits, and concluding politely. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with each point separated into its own paragraph. However, cohesion sometimes feels a bit mechanical or repetitive, such as the repeated use of 'I would like to reduce working hours' across the opening paragraphs. Referencing is mostly clear, though some transitional links between sentences could be smoother to avoid abrupt shifts. To achieve a higher level, you should employ a wider and more flexible range of cohesive devices without relying on repetitive templates, ensuring that the transitions between paragraphs and ideas feel completely natural and effortless.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You display an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully attempting less common items related to your studies, such as 'post graduation', 'Pharmaceutics', and 'noval drug delivery system'. However, there are notable word choice and spelling inaccuracies that prevent a higher rating, such as spelling 'novel' as 'noval', writing 'request for reducing' instead of 'request a reduction in', and using 'extra work' where 'extra shifts' or 'additional hours' would be more natural. Your vocabulary choices are generally sufficient to convey your message clearly, but occasional slips in collocation and word formation mean that control is not yet fully precise. To reach the next band, you should refine your spelling and aim for more natural collocations when discussing professional and academic topics.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like conditional clauses and infinitive phrases, such as 'I would appreciate it if you could provide me with an evening work.' There are some errors in grammar, such as the unnecessary article in 'provide me with an evening work' and 'provide me with an extra work', as well as the awkward infinitive structure 'look forward to get your positive feedback' instead of 'getting'. Nevertheless, these errors rarely impede communication and your meaning remains clear throughout. To move up to the next band, you need to produce more frequent error-free sentences and demonstrate tighter control over articles, gerunds, and prepositional patterns within complex structures.

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

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