Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 hope you are doing well. I hope everything in the clinic is going smoothly. I am writing you with humble request that I want some extra hours to study alongside my work. It would be beneficial not only for me but also for the clinic.

The reason why I want to reduce my working hours is that I have to study for the American veterinary licensing exam. This exam is of paramount importance for working in Canada and America. Actually this exam is quite tough in the veterinary field and requires a lot of effort to clear it.

Sir, I want to work at night shift from 10pm to 4am, as it would be really helpful for me because at night there is no rush of patients in the clinic. Moreover, I can study after getting up at 11am in the morning time.

My respected Sir, this would also be beneficial for the clinic as well beacuse this exam will make me strong theoratically and it will enable me to teach new skills to other junior veterinarians at the clinic. So overalll it would be beneficial for the clinic as well.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three requested points: you explain that you need to prepare for the American veterinary licensing exam, propose a 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. shift, and describe how the qualification could help you teach junior veterinarians. The purpose is clear and the ideas are relevant. However, the benefit to the clinic is asserted rather than fully explained, and the proposed hours could be framed more clearly as a request to reduce your current hours. The claim that there is “no rush of patients” at night also needs care, since it may not reassure your employer about staffing. To strengthen the letter, explain how your study will improve your work or patient care and ask whether the schedule can be arranged.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a coherent overall arrangement: it opens politely, gives your reason, proposes a schedule, and then explains a possible benefit to the clinic. Paragraphing helps the reader follow these stages, and connectors such as “Moreover” and “So overall” make relationships between ideas visible. Some linking is repetitive or mechanical, particularly the repeated references to the clinic being “beneficial,” and the repeated forms of address (“Sir,” “My respected Sir”) interrupt the flow. The connection between reducing hours and working a night shift is also not made explicit. A more direct opening request and a concise closing paragraph would make the progression smoother and the letter feel more complete.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for the topic and attempt some less common expressions, including “paramount importance” and “licensing exam.” These communicate the subject clearly, although some choices are unnatural or imprecise: “extra hours to study” conflicts with your request to reduce working hours, and “make me strong theoretically” does not express the intended benefit idiomatically. There are also spelling errors in “beacuse,” “theoratically,” and “overalll.” Such slips do not prevent understanding, but they limit the accuracy and control expected at a stronger level. Prefer precise workplace language and check spelling; for example, say that you need “more time to study” and that the exam will “strengthen my theoretical knowledge.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a reason clause (“The reason why I want to reduce… is that…”) and a conditional explanation (“as it would be really helpful for me”). Most of the message remains understandable, but some grammatical patterns are inaccurate. For example, “I am writing you with humble request” needs an article and a different preposition, while “this would also be beneficial for the clinic as well beacuse this exam…” has a faulty construction and unclear clause connection. “I want to work at night shift” also needs a more accurate grammatical pattern. Review articles, prepositions, and sentence boundaries, and use a direct request such as “I would like to reduce my hours and work the night shift from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.”

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

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