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 Sir,

I am writing you this letter to request you to reduce my working hours for short period of time as I have enrolled in a crash course of "Advancements in technology" followed by a competition at the end and this requires my focus.

I would prefer to work in the morning batch from 9 a.m to 2 p.m and would completely dedicate myself working efficiently during these hours. After completing this course I could have chosen the evening batch which starts from 4 p.m till 10 p.m but the timing of my online lectures clashes with it.

As my part-time studies include lectures from various well-known educators, I will gain vast knowledge about the development and advancements in the field of technology. They will provide a certificate at the end of programme which surely benefit my profile for future employment, and together we would help the company to rich greater heights.

Kindly consider my request and looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Thanking you in advance.

Yours sincerely,

Jeanne Jacobs

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three requested points: you explain that the course and competition require focus, specify a preferred 9 a.m.–2 p.m. schedule, and describe possible benefits to the company. The request is clear and the letter uses an appropriate formal tone. The explanation of the employer benefit is the least developed part: gaining knowledge and a certificate may improve your profile, but the link to how this would help the employer is only briefly stated in “together we would help the company to rich greater heights.” To strengthen this, explain how the new skills could be applied to your work or benefit a specific company activity. The reason for choosing the morning shift is also somewhat indirect, but the timing conflict is understandable. Overall, the task is covered, with some ideas needing fuller development.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter has a clear progression: the opening states the request and reason, the next paragraph gives your preferred hours, and the final main paragraph explains the study’s potential value. This organisation makes the purpose easy to follow, and the closing is appropriate. Linking phrases such as “After completing this course” and “As my part-time studies include” help connect the ideas. Some connections could be more precise: the contrast between preferring the morning batch and saying you could have chosen the evening batch is not fully clear, since the evening timing is then described as conflicting with your lectures. The final paragraph also moves quickly from course content to a certificate and then to company benefits. Clarifying these relationships would make the progression more seamless.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a formal workplace request, including “enrolled,” “competition,” “lectures,” and “development and advancements.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and the tone is generally suitable. There are some inaccurate or unnatural expressions that limit precision: “reduce my working hours for short period of time,” “morning batch,” and “rich greater heights” do not sound natural in this context. “Vast knowledge” and “surely benefit my profile” are also imprecise or awkward collocations. Aim for more conventional workplace and study-related phrasing, such as “reduce my hours temporarily,” “morning shift,” and “help the company achieve greater success.” This would make your vocabulary more natural while retaining the range you already demonstrate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the clause beginning “as I have enrolled” and the sentence explaining that the evening schedule clashes with your lectures. Most of the message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors are present. For example, “I am writing you this letter to request you to reduce” needs more accurate verb patterns, and “for short period of time” is missing an article. In “which surely benefit my profile,” the verb form does not agree with the subject, while “looking forward to hearing from you soon” lacks an explicit subject in this sentence. Review articles, agreement, and the structure of request phrases. More consistently accurate control of these patterns would improve the letter without requiring more complicated sentences.

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

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