Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-09

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 Sir,

I am writing to formally request a reduction in my weekly hours as I am planning to enroll in short term course in Business advancement.

Last year I decided to enhance my skills in Business department as my current role requires some additional knowledge, so I have submitted an application for the admission in STEM University for the Business advancement. As the duration of course is three months and I required to attend two days a week.

Although I work overnight hours, for the preperation and assignment work, I would like to cut two days per week and to be specific Mondays and Fridays. These days off can provide me extra time for attend practical revision classes which helps students to implement the skills and information gained from the course.

Lastly, this course can contribute to our sales because with the help of the short term study I could assist our retail department employees with different and updated methods of promotion and sales techniques which can generate production.

I would look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Robin

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three points and maintain a clear, appropriately formal request. The reason is explained through your wish to develop business skills relevant to your current role, and you specify Mondays and Fridays as the days you would like off. You also connect the course to a potential benefit for the employer by describing how you could share updated promotion and sales methods with retail staff. These ideas are relevant and supported, although the proposed working arrangement is not fully clear: you say you want to “cut two days per week” but do not state the hours you would work on the remaining days. The employer benefit is also somewhat general; a more specific example of how the new skills could improve sales would strengthen the explanation.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall sequence: you introduce the request, explain your study plans, identify the days you want off, and finish with the employer benefit. Paragraphing helps distinguish these points, and transitions such as “Although” and “Lastly” guide the reader. However, some links between ideas are awkward or unclear. For example, “As the duration of course is three months and I required to attend two days a week” does not connect smoothly to the preceding sentence, while “These days off” requires the reader to infer how the requested schedule relates to your classes. The progression is generally understandable, but more precise linking and a clearer statement of the proposed schedule would make cohesion less mechanical and improve the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a formal workplace request, including “formally request,” “enhance my skills,” “practical revision classes,” and “promotion and sales techniques.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and you attempt some less common business-related expressions. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “Business advancement,” “for the admission,” and “generate production.” There are also spelling errors, including “preperation.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision and naturalness. Prefer established expressions such as “professional development,” “apply for admission,” and “increase sales or productivity,” and check spelling carefully to make your vocabulary more consistently appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including the subordinate clause “Although I work overnight hours” and the conditional structure “which can generate production.” The main message remains clear, but some grammatical errors occur in both sentence construction and basic forms. For instance, “As the duration of course is three months and I required to attend two days a week” is an incomplete, awkwardly connected sentence; “I required” also needs a suitable verb form. In “time for attend practical revision classes,” the verb pattern is incorrect, and “classes which helps” has a subject–verb agreement problem. Review articles, verb forms, and agreement, and divide or restructure sentences when clauses do not connect cleanly.

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