Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-11

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 boss,

I hope you are doing well. i want to inform you that in this upcoming semester my classes are going to held on every monday to wednesday from 8 am to 5 pm till the end of semester. Because of this I want that can you change my work schedule according to my classes and reduce my working hours.

So i can work thursday to saturday because in these days i dont have any classes and can work my full shift and i also do overtime.

Moreover my part-time studies would helpful for you to adjusting my schdule easily and also to make my cheque easily.

thank you,

Nikhil Rana

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify a reason for the request—classes run from Monday to Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.—and propose working Thursday to Saturday, including full shifts and overtime. However, the benefit to your employer is not clearly explained: “make my cheque easily” is difficult to understand and does not show how your studies would help the business. The request is also brief and lacks supporting detail, such as what you are studying or how it relates to your role. The response is 112 words, below the required 150, so the letter does not develop the task sufficiently. Explain each point more fully and state a clear, professional request.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The ideas appear in a generally sensible order: you explain your class schedule, suggest alternative working days, and then mention a possible benefit to your employer. The opening and sign-off also make the response recognisable as a letter. However, the body is compressed into a few short paragraphs, and the relationship between your studies and the employer’s benefit is unclear. Connect the points more explicitly and use separate paragraphs for the reason, proposed schedule, and benefit. Some linking is present through “Because of this” and “Moreover,” but the latter introduces an idea that is difficult to follow. A clearer progression and more precise referencing would make the letter easier to read.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the basic situation, with relevant terms such as “semester,” “classes,” “work schedule,” and “overtime.” However, the range is limited, and several word choices or collocations make the message unclear or unsuitable for a formal letter. For example, “make my cheque easily” does not convey a clear benefit, while “change my work schedule according to my classes” is understandable but could be expressed more naturally. Spelling and word-form errors such as “schdule” and “helpful” also reduce accuracy. Choose precise workplace language and use a more professional tone when addressing your boss.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response relies mainly on simple sentence patterns, with a few attempts to connect ideas using “Because of this” and “Moreover.” Errors occur frequently in these structures and sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow. For example, “classes are going to held” is missing “be,” and “I want that can you change” has an incorrect clause structure. There are also problems with capitalisation and punctuation, including lowercase “i” and “thank you,” and the long opening sentence would be clearer if divided. Practise forming polite requests, using infinitives and subordinate clauses, and checking verb forms and sentence boundaries before submitting.

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

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