Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-16

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 my classes are being scheduled by upcoming week as a part time student so I want you to reduce my working hours.

I want the redution of my working hour so that I can manage my classes and work. By working for short time, I can focus on classes, assignments and can easily get the desired outcome.

I want to work on weekdays and in the evening on bussiness days. So that I can join the on campus classes and tutions. This will help you as well as You do not need to hire a new person and spend time to get trained. I am experienced so I can manage the things accordingly.

I hope you understand my situation and grant me your favour to work for my preffered hours. I will wait to hear back from you.

Kind Regards

Richard

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three requested points: you explain that you need time to manage classes and assignments, state a preferred work pattern, and describe a benefit to the employer by noting that your experience means no new person needs to be hired and trained. The purpose of the letter is clear and relevant. However, the requested hours are not precise: “on weekdays and in the evening” does not specify which days or start and finish times, and it is unclear whether you mean all weekdays. The employer benefit is also only briefly explained. Give a specific schedule and develop how your studies will improve your work or contribute new skills.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: the opening states your request, the following paragraphs explain your reasons and preferred schedule, and the closing asks for approval. This makes the message easy to follow. Some links between ideas are less smooth, however. The sentence beginning “So that I can join” is a fragment, and “This will help you as well as You do not need…” joins the benefit to the explanation awkwardly. The repeated use of “I want” also makes the progression somewhat mechanical. Connect the schedule and employer benefit in complete sentences, and use clearer transitions such as “In return” or “This arrangement would also benefit the company because…”.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main request, using relevant terms such as “part time student,” “assignments,” “on campus classes,” and “experienced.” However, several word choices, collocations, and spelling errors make the letter sound less natural or precise. For example, “reduce my working hours” is more appropriate than “reduce my working hours” only when framed as a request, while “redution” is misspelled and “bussiness days,” “tutions,” and “preffered” contain spelling errors. “Manage the things accordingly” is vague, and “grant me your favour” is not a natural way to request approval. Choose precise workplace language and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mixture of simple sentences and some attempts at longer structures, and the main message remains understandable. Some grammatical errors nevertheless affect clarity and naturalness. The opening sentence, “my classes are being scheduled by upcoming week,” has an unclear construction; a clearer form would be “My classes are due to begin next week.” “So that I can join…” is a sentence fragment, while “I can focus on classes, assignments and can easily get…” has an awkward parallel structure. There are also inconsistent capitalisation and punctuation choices, such as “You” after a comma and the full stop before “So that.” Build complete sentences, keep verb patterns parallel, and punctuate connected ideas consistently.

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

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