Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

Dear Mark,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing to rearrange my working hours. I am planing to enroll to a new course that starting at the university of Adelaide. The course is starting early December and I am planing to do it as a part time. The length of the course is six months.

If possible, I would like to request a half day on Fridays since the university is located 120 km north from the city. I am planing to drive to the university on Fridays since I have lectures scheduled on Saturdays. I could work few hours extra on other weekdays to cover if there are any urgent works.

This course is about Advanced GIS Analysis and I believe this will give me a good opportunity to study more about GIS. This would be a good chance for the company also since we are trying to automate most of our workflows. It would be easy for me to understand what areas that we need to focus on when we are automating our workflows.

Let me know what you think the best approach for this. I am happy to have a chat with you.

Kind regards,

Thilan Senawirathna.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The letter addresses all three requested points and maintains a clear, polite purpose. You explain that you want to study a six-month Advanced GIS Analysis course, request Friday time off, and connect the qualification to automating company workflows. The practical detail about travelling to the university and offering extra hours helps support your request. The employer benefit is relevant, but it is less fully explained than your study arrangements: specify more directly how the new skills could improve particular workflows or support the team. The request for a “half day on Fridays” could also be made more precise by stating the exact hours you hope to work. Overall, the key ideas are clear and supported, with room to develop the benefit and schedule further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information is arranged in a clear sequence: you introduce the course, explain the schedule you need, and then describe the potential benefit to the company. Paragraphing supports this progression, and phrases such as “If possible” and “This course” help connect your points. The closing is appropriate and invites discussion. Some linking and reference could be more precise, however. For example, “This would be a good chance for the company also” is understandable, but the relationship between your studies and the company’s automation goals could be stated more directly. The repeated “I am planning” also makes the opening feel slightly mechanical. Varying these transitions and clarifying references would make the flow more polished.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of task-relevant vocabulary, including “rearrange my working hours,” “lectures scheduled,” “Advanced GIS Analysis,” and “automate most of our workflows.” These choices communicate the subject and your professional motivation clearly, and the technical terms add useful specificity. Some word forms, spelling, and collocations are less accurate or natural, such as “planing,” “enroll to,” and “urgent works.” “Study more about GIS” is also rather general for a formal workplace request. These slips do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and naturalness. Aim for more idiomatic combinations and a slightly more formal register when describing your request and the value of the course.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The letter includes a mix of simple and more developed sentence forms, and most ideas remain easy to understand. For instance, the sentence beginning “I could work few hours extra…” adds a practical condition, while the final paragraph links your studies to the company’s goals. Some grammatical errors remain. In “the course that starting,” the verb form is incomplete; “the course is starting” or “the course that starts” would be correct. You also need an article in “work a few hours extra,” and the structure “what areas that we need” should be revised to “which areas we need.” Check prepositions and sentence patterns as well, such as “located 120 km north of the city.” More accurate control of these forms would strengthen the letter.

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