Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-25

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 Billy,

I am Nishan. I am a full-time CNC machinist in your machine shop located on fanton road. I am writing this letter to request you to cut-down my working hours, as I want to study a part-time "CNC maintenance technician" program at Algonquin college.

This is a 4 month part-time program. Each week I will have to attend classes for two days. Fortunately, I will have therory class on Thursday for 6 hours and Friday all day practical lab for 8 hours. So, I will be available for you to work from Monday to Wednesday.

After completion of this course, I will be honored with certificate of "CNC maintenance technician". Which will make my job profile more strong. Also, after completing this course, I will be certified CNC technician which will allow me to fix machine in our machine-shop. So, we will not futher needed to hire someone from outside to fix our machine.

Hopping for a prompt consideration to this request!

Yours faithfully,

Nishan

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three requested points and maintains a clear, appropriate purpose: you request reduced hours, explain that you want to study CNC maintenance, and describe a benefit to the employer. The schedule is specific, with classes on Thursday and Friday and availability from Monday to Wednesday. You also extend the benefit by explaining that your new skills could let you repair the shop’s machines without hiring outside help. To make the explanation more fully developed, clarify the exact working hours or arrangement you are requesting, since “available ... from Monday to Wednesday” does not specify daily start and finish times. A brief, direct request for your boss’s approval would also make the purpose especially clear.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information follows a clear progression: you introduce your request, explain the course schedule, and then describe how the qualification could help the business. Paragraphing supports this sequence, and links such as “Fortunately,” “So,” and “Also” help connect the ideas. The letter is easy to follow overall. Some connections could be more precise: “So, we will not further needed to hire someone” does not clearly express the cause-and-effect relationship because the sentence structure is faulty. The closing sentence is also separated from the request without a clear transition. Use a more direct link, such as explaining that the course would enable you to handle maintenance in-house, followed by a polite request for consideration.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use relevant vocabulary for the workplace and course, including “CNC machinist,” “practical lab,” “certificate,” and “certified CNC technician.” These terms make the purpose and potential benefit clear, and the range is adequate for this letter. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or informal, such as “cut-down my working hours,” “job profile more strong,” and “fix machine.” There are also spelling errors in “therory,” “futher,” and “Hopping,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for natural professional phrasing, for example, “reduce my working hours,” “strengthen my qualifications,” and “repair the machines.” This would make the letter sound more polished while retaining its clear meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response includes both simple sentences and attempts at more complex structures, such as “After completion of this course, I will be ...” and the explanation beginning “which will allow me to...”. Meaning is generally clear, and the schedule is communicated successfully. Some grammatical errors remain, however. “Which will make my job profile more strong” is an incomplete sentence; it should be joined to the preceding sentence. “We will not futher needed to hire” has an incorrect verb construction, and “fix machine” needs an article or plural noun. The opening “I am Nishan” is also unnecessary and less natural in a letter to a familiar boss. Review sentence boundaries, verb forms, and articles, and use a direct request structure such as “I would like to request permission to reduce my hours.”

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

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