Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-01

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 Steve,

I am writing this letter to request you to reduce my working hours in my schedule.

Actually, I have applied to a part time HACCP course last month and got an offer letter to enroll and start it after two weeks from now, basically from November 15. It is a 8-month course and will certify me after its completion.

Currently, I am working on rotataion shifts for 8 hours. It would be great if you could put me on a fixed schedule of evening time so that I can attend my classes during mornings.I can start my shift from 3 pm onwards till 11 pm.

Probing further, this course will teach me about the possible food hazards and its prevention which our company lacks at certain times. By enrolling in this, I will get to know more about prevention methods that I can use later in our company when hazards occur. Also, I will become a Certified HACCP trainer after completing this course and can provide proper HACCP training to all departments like production, shipping and Quality Control too.

I hope you will approve my request to work less as per my study need for only 8 months.Thus, I will continue to work my regular shifts after finishing this course.

Yours Sincerely,

Manpreet

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.0

The letter covers all three requested points clearly. You explain that you have been offered a place on an eight-month HACCP course, specify the preferred arrangement—fixed evening shifts from 3 pm to 11 pm—and give relevant benefits to the employer, including applying hazard-prevention knowledge and training staff across departments. The request is clear and the closing explains that you intend to return to your regular shifts after the course. These details make the purpose and proposed arrangement easy to understand, with the benefits developed particularly well. To make the response even more complete, clarify exactly how many hours you are asking to work, since the proposed 3–11 pm shift is still an eight-hour shift and does not explicitly show a reduction in hours.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter has a clear progression: it introduces the request, explains the course, proposes a schedule, describes the employer’s benefits, and closes with the expected duration. Paragraphing supports this sequence, and links such as “Also” and “Thus” help connect related points. The overall organisation is easy to follow. Some transitions are less natural or slightly mechanical, however: “Probing further” is an awkward way to introduce the benefits, and “Actually” is not needed to begin the explanation. There is also a missing space after the full stop in “mornings.I” and “months.Thus,” which interrupts the presentation. Use simpler, more purposeful transitions and check spacing to make the cohesion smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the workplace and course, including “rotation shifts,” “food hazards,” “prevention methods,” and “Certified HACCP trainer.” This gives the letter enough range to explain both your study plans and the value to the company. Some less common expressions are attempted, but a few choices or collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: “request you to reduce” is less idiomatic than “request a reduction in,” while “put me on a fixed schedule of evening time” is cumbersome. There are also spelling and form issues such as “rotataion” and “part time” when used as an adjective. More precise, natural workplace phrasing would strengthen the overall control of vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response includes a useful mix of simple and more complex sentences, such as the explanation of what the course will teach and the sentence describing how you could train several departments. Most meaning remains clear, but some grammatical errors and punctuation slips are present. For example, “a 8-month course” needs the article “an,” and “its prevention” does not agree naturally with the plural “food hazards.” The opening request, “I am writing this letter to request you to reduce my working hours,” also has an awkward grammatical pattern; “request a reduction in my working hours” would be clearer. Review articles, agreement, and sentence punctuation, while continuing to use varied sentence structures.

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

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