Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear Sir,

I am writing to request regarding my working hours. Currently, I am working around thirty hours a week in our company. However, I want to cut off my hours to twenty per week.

The main reason behind that is my part time study. Recently, I have enrolled myself in a course entitled "Advance Retail And Sales". Nevertheless, I am still open to work part time hours every evening. Apart from that, This course is going to benefit not only me but also our organisation.

It would help me enhance my skills such as problem-solving and communication. After completing this study, I would be able generate more sales in our company that would eventually help company to make more revenue. Although I am avaliable to work full time this week but after that I will require only twenty hours per week.

It would be really helpful if you could accept this request.

Yours faithfully,

Neel Patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three requested points: you explain that your part-time course is the reason for reducing your hours, propose working 20 hours weekly, and describe benefits such as improved problem-solving, communication, and sales. The request is clear and relevant, and the potential benefit to the company gives the letter a persuasive purpose. To make the response more fully developed, specify the exact hours or days you would prefer to work; “every evening” does not clearly establish the schedule, and it sits somewhat awkwardly beside the request for 20 hours. The employer benefit is also asserted rather than illustrated—for example, you could explain how the course’s retail knowledge would improve customer service or sales performance. These details would make the proposal more precise and convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a coherent overall structure: it introduces the request, explains the study, outlines a possible benefit, and closes politely. Paragraphing helps separate these stages, and expressions such as “The main reason” and “After completing this study” guide the reader through the message. However, some links are mechanical or do not express the relationship clearly. “Nevertheless” suggests a contrast that is not apparent, while “Apart from that” introduces a point that is closely connected to the previous sentence. The shift from “every evening” to “only twenty hours per week” also leaves the proposed schedule unclear. Use transitions that reflect the actual logic and group the requested hours into a specific, consistent arrangement.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a workplace request, including “enrolled,” “enhance my skills,” “generate more sales,” and “revenue.” These choices help communicate your purpose and the possible value of your studies. Some word combinations and forms are inaccurate or unnatural, however, such as “request regarding my working hours,” “cut off my hours,” and “part time study.” There are also spelling and capitalisation slips, including “avaliable” and the unnecessary capitals in the course title. These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision and naturalness. Aim for conventional professional collocations and check spelling and compound forms before sending the letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including a conditional structure in “It would be really helpful if you could accept this request” and a relative clause in “that would eventually help company to make more revenue.” The message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors occur. For example, “I am writing to request regarding” has an incomplete construction, and “I would be able generate” is missing “to.” In “Although I am avaliable to work full time this week but after that…,” the conjunctions are incorrectly combined, and the tense and time reference could be clearer. Review verb patterns, articles, and sentence connections; this will improve accuracy while preserving the range you already attempt.

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.