Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-27

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 5.5)

Dear Boss,

I'm taking this oppotunity, to ask favor from you, if I can reduce my working hours.

Hello boss, I would like to ask permission from you, if you don't mind me asking you to reduce my working hour's. Because I want to give more time, or focus on my study, especially that midterm is coming so i need more time on my curriculum.

Yours

If your willing to approve my request. I would like to ask, if can I work in the morning, from 7 am to 1pm. so that i have enought time to go school and focus with my study until a night. to have more time to review.

I strongly believe that my part-time studies. will benefit the company, because I'm taking business management that fits to my work. Thats the reason I need more time on my studies, I hope you can give cnance to my request. looking forward seeing you approval.

Truly Yours,

Danny Paisan

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the three main points: you explain that you need more time for your studies, request a morning shift from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., and connect business management studies with your work. However, the reasons and employer benefit are only briefly explained. For example, “midterm is coming” gives a current reason, but you could clarify how a reduced schedule would support your longer-term studies. Likewise, saying the course “fits to my work” does not explain what skills or knowledge you would bring back to the company. The request is understandable, but the repeated appeals for permission make your position less direct. Develop the benefits and state the proposed arrangement clearly and confidently.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter contains the relevant information, and the requested hours are easy to locate. However, the progression is weakened by repeated openings and requests: “I'm taking this opportunity” is followed by “Hello boss, I would like to ask permission,” and the request is repeated again later. The paragraphing and spacing also make the letter feel fragmented, while “Yours” appears in the middle rather than at the end. Some links between ideas are unclear, particularly the transition from the study reason to the proposed schedule. Organise the letter into clear paragraphs—purpose and reason, preferred hours, then employer benefit—and use a small number of accurate linking phrases to guide the reader.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough basic vocabulary to communicate the main request, including “reduce my working hours,” “part-time studies,” and “business management.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or spelling errors make the letter less natural, such as “oppotunity,” “enought,” and “cnance.” Some phrases are also awkward or imprecise, including “focus with my study” and “fits to my work.” Repeated use of “ask” and “more time” further limits variety. Aim for accurate, professional expressions suited to a letter to a manager, and check spelling carefully. More precise wording about the course’s relevance and the skills it could provide would also strengthen your explanation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The letter attempts longer sentences and conditional language, but errors are frequent and sometimes make the relationships between ideas difficult to follow. For example, “if I can reduce my working hours” is embedded awkwardly after “ask favor,” and “If your willing to approve my request” is an incomplete conditional clause. The question form “if can I work” also has incorrect word order, while “my part-time studies. will benefit” is incorrectly divided by a full stop. There are also problems with articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries. Use complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and practise indirect requests such as “I would like to ask whether I could work…” Proofreading punctuation and sentence structure will improve clarity.

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.