Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-24

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,

The purpose of my writing today is to request you to cut down my alloted weekly hours so that I can focus my attention to part time education.

With my final semester in my college, the workload on my assignments and exams have significantly increased. As a result, I have to reduce my working hours so that I can properly dedicate my time to these tasks.

As my major asssignemnts and tasks are due in first 3 days of the week, I would like to take off during those days. So, I would like to get schedule from thursday through Sunday.

As part of my couse, I am focusing on devloping bussiness management ideas, I belive these will be benificials for you in upcoming months as I will have more clear vision about my upcoming proposals for our clients.

Your considertaion to my request would be greatly appreciated. Furthermore, an open line of communication would also be greatly helpful.

Yours Sincerely,

Mirali Lalani

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three requested points: you explain that final-semester assignments and exams have increased, request time off early in the week, and connect your business-management studies to clearer client proposals. The purpose is clear and the tone is appropriately polite. The schedule is understandable, although “take off during those days” and “get schedule from Thursday through Sunday” leave the exact working arrangement somewhat unclear. The employer benefit is relevant but brief; explain more specifically how the skills or knowledge gained would improve your work. This response fully covers the task at this level, while some details are less fully developed than others. A more precise schedule and a fuller explanation of the benefit would make the letter more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter follows a sensible progression: it states the request, gives the reason, proposes a schedule, and explains the potential benefit to the employer before closing politely. Paragraphing helps separate these points, and connectors such as “As a result” and “Furthermore” make the relationships between ideas clear. The progression is easy to follow overall. However, the schedule paragraph could connect the days off and proposed working days more explicitly, since “take off during those days” is followed by “get schedule from Thursday through Sunday.” The final sentence about keeping communication open feels somewhat detached from the request. Linking it directly to discussing or adjusting the proposed schedule would make cohesion more natural and flexible.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use vocabulary relevant to the situation, including “workload,” “assignments,” “final semester,” “business management,” and “proposals for our clients.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and the tone is generally suitable for a workplace letter. However, several spelling errors and awkward word combinations reduce precision: “alloted,” “asssignemnts,” “devloping,” and “benificials” are noticeable, while “focus my attention to” and “get schedule” are not natural collocations. “Clear vision about my upcoming proposals” is also imprecise. This shows an adequate range for the task, with attempts at more specific vocabulary, but accuracy and natural phrasing need more consistent control. Proofreading and learning common workplace collocations would strengthen the letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including the reason-and-result structure in “As a result, I have to reduce my working hours” and the conditional idea beginning “As part of my course.” Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, and the request remains understandable. Some grammatical issues persist, however. In “the workload on my assignments and exams have,” the subject and verb do not agree; “the workload … has” would be appropriate. “With my final semester in my college” and “due in first 3 days” also need more accurate article and preposition patterns. The sentence beginning “As part of my course” is a comma splice, so connect its clauses with a conjunction or separate them. These are some errors, but they rarely prevent understanding.

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

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