Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-22

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 Stacy,

I am writing this letter to request a reduction in my working hours. I have recently enrolled in part-time studies at Manchester University.The programme will be Masters in Gender and policy studies. Classes are conducted weekly from Friday to Sunday starting at 1300hrs. Each day consists of three hour lecture. I would love to reduce working hours on Friday and Monday every week to accomodate my study time.

I would be grateful if I can work five hours on Monday and three hours on Friday. Ideally, Fridays would be good if I finish early so that I can attend my online class which starts at 1300hrs. All in all my hours will reduce to thirty hours per week.

I strongly believe, that my studies are going to benefit our department because recently we have been receiving a lot of gender based violence cases. Acquiring more knowledge on gender issues will help in having ideas on how to handle such cases.

Your assistance on this request will be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards,

Ruth

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

You address all three requested points and maintain a clear, appropriately polite request throughout. You explain that you have enrolled in a part-time programme, specify the proposed Monday and Friday hours, and connect your studies to the department’s gender-based violence cases. The benefit to your employer is relevant, though it would be stronger with a more specific example of how your learning could improve case handling or support colleagues. There is also a small ambiguity in the schedule: you say classes run Friday to Sunday, but request reduced hours on Monday and Friday without explaining how the Monday change relates to study. Clarifying this would make the proposal more fully developed and persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter is organised in a clear sequence: the reason for writing and study details come first, the requested schedule follows, and the employer benefit and courteous closing complete the message. Paragraphing supports this progression, and phrases such as “I would be grateful” and “All in all” help connect the request. Some links between details could be clearer, however. In particular, the relationship between classes from Friday to Sunday and the request to reduce Monday hours is not explained. The transition from the proposed hours to the total of thirty hours per week would also be easier to follow if you stated your current weekly hours or clarified the calculation. These refinements would make the cohesion more consistently smooth.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a formal workplace request, including “request a reduction,” “part-time studies,” “accommodate,” and “benefit our department.” The tone is generally appropriate, and the meaning remains clear. Some choices and collocations are less natural or precise, such as “Each day consists of three hour lecture” and “help in having ideas on how to handle such cases.” There are also spelling and formatting slips, including “accomodate” and “gender based.” More precise workplace and academic phrasing would show greater flexibility and control. For example, describe the practical skills you will gain and how you could apply them to the department’s cases.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and more developed sentence forms, and several sentences communicate the request clearly, such as “I am writing this letter to request a reduction in my working hours.” Some grammatical errors remain, but they do not prevent understanding. For example, “I would be grateful if I can work” would be more accurate as “I would be grateful if I could work,” and “three hour lecture” needs a plural form and an article, as in “a three-hour lecture.” The sentence “The programme will be Masters in Gender and policy studies” also needs a more natural grammatical construction. Review conditional forms, articles, and singular/plural agreement, and check punctuation and spacing between sentences.

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