Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear Mr Hashim,

I am writing to request a reduction in my working hours as I am planning to pursue my further studies alongside my job.

Firstly, it's not possible for me to do 9 to 5 because it leaves me with very little time to concentrate on my studies. Therefore, I would appreciate if you could allow me to work from 8am to 2pm. As this schedule will help me with sufficient time to attend my classes and complete my assignments.

Moreover, by gaining additional qualifications and improving my knowledge i would be able to perform my duties efficiently. I could apply apply this techniques and ideas to mmy work, which cwill contribute to overall progress of the company.

I would be grateful if you consider my request.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Fareah Aziz

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three requested points: you explain that you need time for further study, propose working from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and describe how new qualifications could improve your performance and benefit the company. The request is clear and appropriately polite. However, the employer benefit is only briefly stated; explain more specifically how your new knowledge or techniques could improve your duties or contribute to the company. The reason for studying is also quite general, and could be made more persuasive by mentioning your course or career goal. The response is 10 words below the required minimum, so it does not fully meet the task’s length requirement. Developing these points with a little more detail would make the letter more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall sequence: you state your purpose, explain the scheduling problem and preferred hours, describe a possible benefit to the company, and close politely. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, while “Firstly,” “Therefore,” and “Moreover” make the relationships between ideas easy to follow. This gives the response a coherent structure. To make the progression more natural and fully controlled, avoid using a linking word where the sentence structure does not support it: “As this schedule will help me…” is a fragment after the preceding sentence. You could combine it with the request or express it as a complete sentence. A fuller explanation of the employer benefit would also strengthen the development between paragraphs.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a suitable range of task-related language, including “reduction in my working hours,” “pursue my further studies,” “additional qualifications,” and “perform my duties efficiently.” These phrases communicate the purpose and maintain a polite, professional tone. However, some wording is awkward or imprecise, such as “with sufficient time” and “apply this techniques and ideas.” There are also noticeable spelling or typing slips, including “mmy” and “cwill,” and the repeated “apply apply” distracts from the message. Choose more natural collocations and proofread carefully. For example, “gain enough time” or “have sufficient time” would fit better, and “apply these techniques” would be grammatically and lexically appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the reason clause in “as I am planning to pursue…” and the conditional idea “I could apply…”. The main message remains understandable, and the letter includes several correctly formed sentences. Some errors nevertheless affect accuracy. “I would appreciate if” needs “it” (“I would appreciate it if…”), while “As this schedule will help me…” is a dependent clause presented as a sentence. In “by gaining additional qualifications and improving my knowledge i would be able…,” the pronoun “I” needs capitalization. The phrase “this techniques” also has a number-agreement error. Review sentence boundaries, articles, and agreement, while continuing to use a mix of sentence structures.

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

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