Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-20

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 6.5)

Dear John,

This is to bring to your attention, the fact that i have recently got admission into a course called "Claude for finance professional" at AXE Vocational training college in Dubai. The course requires investment of my time for next 8 weeks of 2 hours for three working days during office hours. This will result in reduce working hours on Monday, Wednesday and Friday till 30th December 2026.

This course will alow me to invest in study part time to upskill my finance knowledge and increase my productivity at work. Further, this will help me contribute in my ongoing role as accountant. The skills i wlll learn during this course, will also going forward benefit you, as i will be able to support you in specific task linked to consolidation, reporting and dashboard development.

Appreciate if you could approve my reduce working hours request for next 8 weeks for submission to the HR for their records.

Best Regards

Steven

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The letter addresses all three requested points: you explain that the course will develop your finance knowledge, specify Monday, Wednesday and Friday as the affected days, and describe benefits such as supporting consolidation, reporting and dashboard development. The request is clear and relevant. The schedule, however, is not fully precise: “2 hours for three working days during office hours” does not identify the exact hours you want to work, and “This will result in reduce working hours” leaves the arrangement somewhat unclear. The employer benefit is relevant but could be developed by explaining more directly how these skills would improve your work or support the team. The clear purpose and coverage are strong; fuller detail on the proposed schedule and benefits would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The information is arranged in a sensible sequence: the first paragraph introduces the course and schedule, the second explains its value, and the final paragraph makes the request. This gives the letter an overall coherent progression. Linking expressions such as “Further” and “also” help connect the ideas, although some connections feel mechanical, and the long first paragraph combines several details that would be clearer in shorter sentences. The phrase “This will result in…” also has an unclear reference, since the reader must infer whether “this” means the course or its timetable. A more explicit transition into the requested working arrangement, followed by a separate, clearly stated schedule, would make the organisation easier to follow and more polished.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of workplace and study vocabulary, including “upskill,” “ongoing role,” “consolidation,” “reporting” and “dashboard development.” These choices make the purpose and potential professional value clear. There are, however, some inaccurate word forms, spelling errors and awkward collocations that limit precision: “alow” and “wlll” are misspelled, while “invest in study part time” and “for submission to the HR” are not natural expressions in this context. “Reduce working hours request” is also an awkward noun phrase. The meaning remains understandable, and the vocabulary is adequate for the task, but proofreading and choosing more idiomatic workplace phrases would improve control and flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response includes both simple statements and more complex structures, for example “The skills … will also going forward benefit you, as I will be able to support you…”. The main message is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors affect accuracy. In “This will result in reduce working hours,” the verb pattern should be “result in reduced working hours” or “result in a reduction in my working hours.” The clause “The skills I will learn during this course, will also … benefit you” has an unnecessary comma, and “will also … benefit” is interrupted awkwardly. “Appreciate if you could approve” also omits the subject “I.” More consistent control of verb forms, sentence boundaries and punctuation would make the letter smoother.

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