Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Dear Sir,

I am writing this letter to inform you that I Am not longer to able working as full -time because I am pursuing study.

I request you to put less working hours as I am going to college for higher studies so that I can only work for 23 hours per week.

I would be available on tuesday , wednesday and friday as i do not have college in these days so you can adjust my hours accordingly.

I am studing customer service which is extremly useful in my current career and it will attract our valuable clients in future for sure. My study woulb be highly demanding in this sector and i want to put my full focus on gaining best grades.

Yours sincerely,

Dilpreet Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three requested points: you explain that college study is the reason for reducing your hours, request a 23-hour week, and identify Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday as available days. You also connect customer-service studies with attracting clients, which is relevant to the employer. However, the benefit is asserted rather than explained, and the proposed schedule is not fully clear because you give days but no specific working hours. The reason for studying and your request are understandable, though some details could be developed more fully. The response is 21 words below the required minimum, so it needs further relevant detail to meet the task requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter follows a generally sensible order: you state your purpose, explain the request and availability, then describe a possible benefit to the company. Separate paragraphs help the reader identify these stages. Connections such as “so that” and “as” show how some ideas relate. However, the progression is quite abrupt, and the final paragraph combines your employer-focused benefit with your personal aim of gaining good grades without clearly linking them. The schedule would also be easier to follow if you stated the hours you propose and then explained how they fit around college. A brief closing sentence confirming your willingness to discuss arrangements would make the letter feel more complete.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use vocabulary relevant to the situation, including “higher studies,” “customer service,” “valuable clients” and “full focus,” so the main message is generally understandable. However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce accuracy and naturalness, such as “studing,” “extremly” and “woulb.” Some phrases are also awkward or imprecise: “put less working hours” and “attract our valuable clients in future for sure” do not sound natural in a formal workplace letter. Aim for accurate, conventional expressions and check spelling carefully. More precise wording about the skills you will gain and how these could improve customer interactions would strengthen your vocabulary and make the benefit more convincing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple sentences and longer clauses, for example, “I would be available on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday as I do not have college on these days.” This shows some ability to connect ideas, and the intended meaning is usually recoverable. However, some sentence structures and verb forms are inaccurate, including “I Am not longer to able working” and “I request you to put less working hours.” There are also errors in articles, capitalization and punctuation, such as the lowercase “i” and the spacing around commas. Practise forming a clear request with a modal verb and a correct infinitive, and proofread each sentence for verb patterns and sentence boundaries.

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

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