Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-14

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 Raj,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing to inform you about the changes that I would like to make to my work schedule for the Kipling Station structural rehabilitation project.

To be honest, I was admitted to the University of Toronto to pursue a master's degree in project management, as I believe that it will help me to enhance my management skills.

Considering the current progress of the project, I would like to work for 3 days, which would be enough to work with you without impacting the project. The workdays would be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so I can focus on both study and work simultaneously.

Fortunately, my further study will help me manage future projects effectively, given that I will learn about the strategies and software that will help me manage multiple tasks at the same time productively. I believe that my further study will impact my project considerably.

Thank you for considering my request for personal and project growth. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Milan Bodar

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three requested points and maintain a clear, polite purpose. The reason for the request is specific: you have been admitted to a master’s programme in project management, and you explain that it will strengthen your management skills. You also give a definite schedule—Monday, Wednesday and Friday—and connect your studies to managing future projects and multiple tasks. These ideas are relevant and extended enough to support your request. However, the proposed hours are not fully clear: you say you want to work “for 3 days” and list the days, but do not specify the hours or shifts on those days. Explaining the exact working hours and how coverage would be maintained would make the request more complete and persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter is organised in a clear sequence: you introduce the request, explain your reason, propose a schedule, describe the employer benefit, and close politely. Paragraphing supports this progression, and linking expressions such as “Considering the current progress” and “given that” help connect the ideas. The reader can follow the message without difficulty. To make the cohesion more flexible and precise, avoid relying on repeated references to “my further study” and “manage”; you could use clearer pronouns or vary the phrasing. The transition from your admission to the proposed three-day schedule could also explain more directly how the arrangement would work for the project. Overall, the organisation is logical, with some room to make connections more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of workplace and study vocabulary, including “work schedule,” “structural rehabilitation project,” “master’s degree,” “management skills,” and “multiple tasks.” These choices communicate the situation clearly and show some flexibility beyond basic vocabulary. However, a few phrases are imprecise or unnatural in this context. “The changes that I would like to make” is less direct than language for requesting an adjustment, while “my further study will impact my project considerably” does not clearly express the intended benefit to the employer. “Work for 3 days” is also less precise than describing a three-day working week. More natural collocations and a clearer distinction between personal development and benefits to the company would strengthen lexical precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

You demonstrate a useful mix of sentence forms, including the complex explanation “as I believe that it will help me to enhance my management skills” and the clause beginning “given that I will learn…”. Most sentences are controlled, and punctuation and sentence boundaries are generally clear. The main grammatical weakness is in the schedule sentence: “I would like to work for 3 days, which would be enough to work with you” uses “which” ambiguously, so it is unclear whether it refers to the three days or the arrangement. The sentence could be divided or recast to make the relationship explicit. There are also opportunities to use more varied structures when explaining how the study will benefit the employer. Overall, grammar supports clear communication, with a few areas needing greater precision.

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