Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-18

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 Apex Nurse,

I am writing to request for a slight change to my work schedule. I recently applied for a part-time postgraduate intensive care course in Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), and I received an email yesterday that my application was successful.

I currently run a 24-hour duty schedule, which I would like to temporarily change to a fixed day duty from Monday to Friday. Running this new shift system means that I'll be free during weekends to attend my classes and I wouldn't be worried about not meeting the 75% attendance required to write the license qualifying exam.

One of the reasons why the intensive care unit at the facility hasn’t been functioning is because of the lack of qualified staff. Getting this certification means that I would be able to work as an ICU nurse for the hospital. It could also serve as a source of motivation for my colleagues to take the course and consequently meet the hospital's requirement and the patient's healthcare needs.

Thank you for your constant support and I hope that my request is put into consideration.

Yours faithfully,

Mariam

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The letter addresses all three requested points and maintains a clear, polite purpose. You explain that you have been accepted onto a postgraduate intensive-care course, specify the proposed Monday-to-Friday day shift, and connect the qualification to staffing the hospital’s ICU and encouraging colleagues to train. These reasons are relevant and supported, which makes the request persuasive. To make the response more fully developed, clarify the exact hours you are proposing, since “fixed day duty” does not identify a start and finish time. You could also explain briefly how the change would be temporary or when you expect to return to your current schedule. The employer benefit is convincing, though the reference to colleagues is somewhat general.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information follows a clear sequence: you introduce the request and course, explain the schedule you want, then describe the benefit to the hospital before closing courteously. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and links such as “Running this new shift system” and “It could also” make the relationships between ideas easy to follow. The progression is logical throughout. Some connections could be made more precise, however: the second paragraph moves from weekend availability to attendance and the licensing exam, while the requested weekday shift is not fully explained in relation to those classes. A clearer transition or a brief explanation of the class timetable would strengthen cohesion and make the reasoning more seamless.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.0

You use a suitable range of workplace and study vocabulary, including “postgraduate,” “attendance,” “certification,” and “qualified staff.” These choices communicate the situation clearly, and phrases such as “source of motivation” show an attempt to express a less basic idea. There are occasional awkward or imprecise collocations that limit the naturalness of the letter: “request for a slight change” is less idiomatic than “request a slight change,” and “run a 24-hour duty schedule” is not the most natural way to describe your current rota. “License qualifying exam” may also be clearer as “licensing examination.” Aim for precise, conventional workplace phrasing while retaining the relevant specialist vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The letter includes a useful mix of simple and complex structures, and many sentences are controlled, such as “I recently applied … and I received an email yesterday that my application was successful.” The conditional construction “Getting this certification means that I would be able to work as an ICU nurse” also conveys the intended benefit clearly. A few grammatical choices need attention. In “I am writing to request for a slight change,” the verb pattern should be “request a slight change” or “make a request for a slight change.” The sentence beginning “Running this new shift system means…” shifts from “means” to “I’ll” and “I wouldn’t,” making the time relationship less consistent. Review verb patterns and maintain consistent tense and modality in longer sentences.

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.