Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-07

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. Singh,

I am writing to request a change to my working hours to manage my studies effectively.

To begin with, I have been working full time as a Clinical Laboratory Assistant in Microbiology department for the past three years. However, I would like to request a reduce in my working hours from next month. I have already received an acceptance letter to study Medical Laboratory Technology from York University. This program requires to commit more time to attend the classes as well as for group assignment. Therefore, I would be grateful if you could reduce my regular hours to part-time. I am available to work on weekends for around 16 hours. I believe this schedule will enable me to create a healthy work-life balance. This part-time studies would allow me to develop my skills and be more independent. In the future, this course will train me to take on more responsibilities for the company. I will be highly beneficial for the company's growth.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions. I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest.

Thank you for you time and understanding.

Yours sincerely,

Payal Bhakta

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three requested points and maintain a clear, polite purpose: you explain that your Medical Laboratory Technology course requires time for classes and group assignments, propose weekend work of around 16 hours, and describe how the qualification could help you take on more responsibility. These details make the request relevant and reasonably well supported. The employer benefit is the least developed part: “I will be highly beneficial for the company's growth” is broad and does not explain what new skills or duties you could contribute. Clarifying how the course relates to your current laboratory role would make this benefit more convincing. Overall, the letter covers the task clearly, though one idea is somewhat general.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter follows a sensible progression from the request and its reason to your proposed schedule and the potential benefit to the employer. Paragraphing separates the main request from the closing, and phrases such as “However,” “Therefore,” and “In the future” help guide the reader. The central paragraph, however, combines several functions—study demands, availability, work-life balance, and employer benefits—so the progression becomes slightly crowded. “This part-time studies” also makes the reference unclear, interrupting the flow. Consider separating the proposed hours from the benefits and using a clear reference such as “These studies.” The organisation is coherent overall, but cohesion is not consistently smooth or flexible.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of task-appropriate vocabulary, including “request,” “acceptance letter,” “group assignment,” “work-life balance,” and “take on more responsibilities.” These choices communicate the situation clearly and show some awareness of formal workplace language. A few word choices and collocations are less natural, however: “a reduce in my working hours” and “I will be highly beneficial” do not express your meaning idiomatically, while “regular hours” could be more precise. The repeated use of “hours” and “part-time” also limits flexibility. Aim to use accurate collocations for making a formal request and describing the practical value of your studies; this would make the vocabulary more precise and fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the explanation beginning “This program requires…” and the future statement about taking on more responsibilities. Most sentences are easy to understand, and the polite request structure is appropriate. Some grammatical errors remain: “in Microbiology department” needs an article, “a reduce” uses the wrong form after the article, and “This program requires to commit” is missing a suitable subject or object construction. “This part-time studies” also has a number-agreement problem, and “Thank you for you time” contains an incorrect possessive form. These errors rarely obstruct the message, but proofreading articles, verb patterns, agreement, and possessives would improve accuracy.

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