Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-12

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 7.0)

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to request you a reduction in my working hours so that I can pursue my further studies as part-time.

I have recently decided to enroll in part-time course in business management to improve my knowledge and professional skills. However, the course requires me to attend classes and complete assignments regularly which would be difficult to manage along-side my current full-time schedule.

I would therefore like to request permission to work from 9 AM to 12 PM monday to friday instead of my usual working hours. This arrangement would allow me to attend my classes in the afternoon while continuing to fulfill my responsibilities at work during the working hours.

I believe my studies would also going to benefit the organization. The course would help me to develop better communication, leadership and problem solving skills. In addition, I would gain a deeper understanding of business operations, enable me to work more efficiently and contribute to company's future growth.

Thank you for considering my request and looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Mohammed Yasir

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The letter clearly addresses all three requested points and maintains a polite, consistent purpose. You explain that the business-management course will build your knowledge and skills, specify the proposed schedule of 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on weekdays, and connect your studies to benefits such as stronger leadership and more efficient work. These ideas are relevant and sufficiently extended to support the request. The employer benefit is the least developed point: for example, you could explain how improved business knowledge would help with a particular responsibility or team need. A more specific link would make the case more persuasive and fully developed, while retaining the clear, appropriate tone already present.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter follows a clear progression: it introduces the request, explains the reason, proposes working hours, and then describes benefits to the employer. Paragraphing supports this sequence, and linking expressions such as “However,” “I would therefore,” and “In addition” help the reader follow the argument. The organisation is effective overall, though some connections could be more precise. In “This arrangement would allow me to attend my classes in the afternoon while continuing to fulfill my responsibilities at work during the working hours,” the relationship between the proposed morning schedule and work responsibilities is somewhat repetitive and could be stated more directly. The closing also combines thanks with a request for a response without a fully smooth grammatical link. More concise transitions would make cohesion feel more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of formal workplace and study vocabulary, including “pursue,” “professional skills,” “leadership,” “business operations,” and “contribute to ... future growth.” These choices communicate the purpose clearly and show some flexibility beyond basic vocabulary. However, several phrases are not fully natural or precise: “request you a reduction” is an awkward collocation, and “studies as part-time” would be more idiomatically expressed as “part-time studies.” “Along-side” is also incorrectly written as one word, and “company’s future growth” needs a clearer reference to the company. To strengthen this performance, focus on accurate collocations and natural formal phrasing, rather than adding more ambitious vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response includes a useful mix of simple and complex sentences, particularly in the explanation of how the course will fit around work and in the sentence beginning “In addition.” Most meanings remain clear, but some grammatical errors prevent consistently accurate control. For example, “I believe my studies would also going to benefit” combines incompatible verb forms; use either “would benefit” or “are also going to benefit.” In “enroll in part-time course,” an article is needed, and “looking forward to hearing from you” lacks an explicit subject after “and.” Capitalisation in “monday” and “friday” also needs attention. Revising these sentence-level details while keeping the varied structures would improve accuracy and polish.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.