Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-26

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 hope you are doing well. I'm writing you this letter because i would like to request, if you could reduce my working hours. As you know, I mentioned earlier my dental licensing exams are coming up next month, I would appreciate more time that i can dedicate to my studies.

Coming home around 6 PM after a long shift leaves me with very little energy and time for my study sessions. I would be very grateful if you could reduce my work time for the coming 2 months. Once I'm done with this set of exams i can resume my previous duties.

These dental licensing exams are really important in my career. It will be huge jump from an dental assistant to a doctor which will also benefit your practice when i get licensed. It will be a great upgrade to your clinic and me as a professional.

I will be very grateful for your cooperation in this matter and will be patiently waiting for your response.

Sincerely,

Mahnoor

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You explain the reason for your request clearly: the dental licensing exams are approaching, and your current shifts leave little time and energy to study. You also describe a relevant benefit to the employer, namely that becoming licensed could strengthen the clinic. However, the request is incomplete because you do not specify which hours or days you would like to work; asking generally to “reduce my work time” does not fulfil that bullet point. The proposed two-month period and return to previous duties add useful detail, but the benefit to the practice could be explained more fully. State a precise schedule and connect your new qualification to specific contributions you could make at the clinic.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: it opens with the request and reason, then gives further context, explains a possible employer benefit, and closes politely. Paragraphing helps distinguish these points, and phrases such as “Once I’m done” make the sequence of events understandable. Some links between ideas are less smooth, however. The third paragraph moves from the importance of the exams to the career change and then to the clinic’s benefit without fully explaining the connections. The repeated expressions of gratitude also make the ending somewhat repetitive. Use a clearer progression from the requested schedule, to how you will manage your duties, and finally to the employer’s benefit.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a formal workplace letter, including “licensing exams,” “dedicate,” “resume my previous duties,” and “cooperation.” These choices communicate the main points, and the reader can understand your intended meaning. Some phrasing is imprecise or unnatural, such as “reduce my work time,” “huge jump,” and “a great upgrade to your clinic.” “Coming home around 6 PM” is understandable but less direct than describing your shift hours. Aim for more precise professional collocations, particularly when explaining how your qualification would benefit the practice. Also check spelling and capitalization, including “I” throughout, and avoid unnecessary spacing such as in “great upgrade.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, and most of the message remains easy to follow. For example, “Coming home around 6 PM after a long shift leaves me with very little energy” uses a clear introductory phrase, while “Once I’m done with this set of exams I can resume my previous duties” expresses a future condition effectively. Some grammatical and punctuation errors remain. In “I’m writing you this letter because i would like to request, if you could reduce my working hours,” the lowercase “i” and the comma before “if” are incorrect, and the request clause is not well formed. “It will be huge jump from an dental assistant to a doctor” also needs articles corrected. Review article use, capitalization, and punctuation around subordinate clauses.

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

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