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 Mr. Marsh

I am writing this letter to you to request a reduction in my working hours so that i can study part-time.

The reason i want to reduce my working hours is that i would like to enroll in a part-time business management course in manila city college. I believe this course will help me improve my skills and knowledge and its hard to balance full time work and study.

If possible i would like to work from 8am to 2pm instead of 8am to 5pm i think this hours will still allow me to complete my main tasks and i can be more focused during my working time.

I believe my studies will also benefit the company. The course that i am taking will teach me new skills in management and communication which i can use to help the team and to improve our services.

I would be grateful if you could consider my request. I am happy to discuss this with you at a convenient time.

Yours sincerely,

Michael

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three points and maintains a clear, polite request. You explain that you want to enrol in a part-time business management course, specify the proposed 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. schedule, and connect your studies to benefits for the company through improved management and communication skills. These ideas are relevant and sufficiently extended to make your purpose clear. The employer benefit is somewhat general, however: you say the skills could help the team and improve services, but do not give a specific example of how you would apply them. Adding one practical example would make this part more fully developed while preserving the letter’s clear focus.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information follows a clear, logical order: you state your request, explain your reason, propose working hours, describe the employer benefit, and close politely. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and phrases such as “If possible” and “I would be grateful” support the letter’s purpose. The progression is easy to follow, though some links between ideas are basic, and the second paragraph contains several points in one block. You could make the relationship between the course and your proposed schedule more explicit, and use a few varied transitions to connect the explanation and benefits. Overall, the organisation is clear and the reader can readily understand the request.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for this workplace letter, and phrases such as “reduce my working hours,” “part-time business management course,” and “consider my request” communicate the main ideas appropriately. You also use relevant terms such as “management,” “communication,” and “services.” However, the range is fairly familiar, and some wording is imprecise or repetitive, including “improve my skills and knowledge” and “help the team.” More specific collocations would make the benefits sound more professional and precise. Check spelling and capitalisation as well: “Manila” and “I” should be capitalised. These issues do not prevent understanding, but greater precision and control would strengthen the letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a purpose clause in “so that I can study part-time” and a relative clause in “which I can use to help the team.” Most of the message remains understandable, but some grammatical and punctuation errors are present. For example, “I think this hours” has a subject–verb agreement and number problem; write “I think these hours.” The sentence beginning “If possible” also needs clearer punctuation between the proposed schedule and the explanation. Capitalisation of “I” is another accuracy issue. To improve, check agreement and sentence boundaries, and practise combining related ideas with accurate punctuation.

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

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